K.C. Venugopal, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organisation), has become one of the important leaders in the party. Although Mr. Venugopal, a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, has limited his day-to-day involvement in Kerala politics after being appointed to the powerful post, he remains an integral part of the grand old party in the State.
With the Congress facing a crucial Assembly election, Mr. Venugopal told The Hindu that victory in Kerala and other States would create a favourable climate for the party at the national level. “For both the Congress and the United Democratic Front, it is a very important election in Kerala. After the local body debacle, we have taken several corrective measures, albeit a lot more to be done, including strengthening the party at grassroots. We are facing the polls with the purpose of wresting power in the State,” he says.
On Sabarimala
Repudiating Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s statement that Sabarimala issue does not exist now, the AICC general secretary says the matter is causing a lot of inconvenience to the Chief Minister and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). “If it is a non-issue, why should a Minister in his Cabinet tender a public apology? The Chief Minister is saying it is non-existent because Sabarimala is an inconvenient issue for him. In this election, the performance and actions of the LDF government in the past five years are up for discussion. Among them, Sabarimala is one of the major issues. The government with the assistance of the police helped non-believers enter the Sabarimala temple. It has pained believers. The Congress is not making it an election issue, but when we discuss the performance of the government, the Sabarimala issue needs to be highlighted,” he says.
Mr. Venugopal terms the Congress’s candidate list “revolutionary.” “Of the 92 candidates, 60% are youth. The list reflects a generational shift. I have been in politics for 43 years. In my experience, this is a revolutionary list. Unfortunately, the media is not highlighting it. It should be welcomed and projected,” he says, adding that the candidates’ list was prepared unanimously by the party State leadership and no intervention was made from Delhi at all.
The Congress leader seems to be not in running for the Chief Minister’s post. “If the UDF emerges victorious in the Assembly poll, an elected representative will become the Chief Minister,” Mr. Venugopal says.
Hopeful
On the party’s poll prospects in other States, he says the Congress is hopeful of a good show. “In Assam, we have a good chance. In Tamil Nadu, our coalition will sweep the polls. Both in Puducherry and West Bengal we are fighting.”
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other national leaders of the party will campaign in the State in the coming days.
