Unhealthy “groupism” is the bane of the Congress in Kerala, senior party leader P.J.Kurien has said.
Mr. Kurien, whose term as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman ends on June 30, was responding to queries from The Hindu following a revolt by the ‘youth brigade’ in the Congress against his possible nomination as a candidate to the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for June 21.
“I do not belong to any group in the party and there may be aspirants representing one or the other group behind the social media campaign against me. Being a committed party worker of the old school, I believe that I could sincerely exercise whatever duties assigned to me by the party,” he said.
Mr. Kurien said he was pained by the controversy as he had never expected or approached anyone seeking yet another term in the Rajya Sabha.
“It was unfortunate that these people have stirred up such a controversy on social media instead of raising their demands at an election committee meeting of the party. Had there been such a meeting, I would have definitely opened up my mind that the party could very well decide to field a youth or any other person it finds suitable for the Rajya Sabha polls,” he said.
20 years of work
Mr. Kurien said the youths raising protest had become MLAs at the age of 25 and 28, while he contested his first Lok Sabha election after doing organisational work for 20 years in 1980.
“Though I proposed V.M. Sudheeran’s name for the Mavelikara Lok Sabha seat, the party election committee decided to field me there in 1980 and I won the seat with a margin of 63,000 votes,” he said.
Mr. Kurien said he never opposed fielding a youth in the Rajya Sabha polls.
“When I was a student, the Congress and the Youth Congress were strong in my home district and across the State. What is their position, now? Who should be blamed for the sorry state of affairs in the Youth Congress and the Congress? Was it a fallout of sending elderly people to the Rajya Sabha,” Mr. Kurien asked.
“Is ageing a thing to blame and should we rebuke the elderly as a gaffer? Is this the way in which these young MLAs behave with the elderly at their homes? I am sure, they will have to repent, one day,” he said.