I am a caretaker president: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran on Saturday said he submitted a report to AICC president Sonia Gandhi soon after the election results came out pointing out the reasons for the failure of the party.
He rubbished reports that he wrote a letter to the party president. “I have detailed everything in the report and hence, there was no need to write a letter to Sonia Gandhi,” he said, while speaking to reporters here.
He also denied reports that he had boycotted the meetings of Ashok Chavan committee appointed by AICC to probe into the defeat faced by the party in the assembly elections.
“I did not boycott the sitting of the committee. I told the committee chairman that I have given a detailed report to Sonia Gandhi explaining the reasons behind the party’s defeat. Hence, I have nothing more to add. I urged the committee to attach that report as my statement in its report,” he said.
Mullappally said he has expressed his willingness to resign from the party president’s post and it has been already informed to Sonia Gandhi. “I am now continuing as a caretaker president. That was the reason why I kept away from the UDF meeting held on Friday. It was not proper and politically correct from my part to attend the meeting as KPCC president after I have given a letter to the party leadership to resign,” he said.
“Sonia Gandhi spoke to me after she received the report and she had pledged all support for me. I told her that I am shouldering the responsibility for the party’s defeat and hence I am ready to quit,” he said.
In his report, Mullappally, is said to have blamed groupism in the party for its defeat. He is learnt to have said that group managers have been dictating terms in the party and he was never a given a free hand to take decisions.
From organizational matters to deciding on candidates, it has been the group managers who had the last word. Hence, the party has become dysfunctional at the grassroots and that was the reason behind the party’s dismal performance, he is learnt to have said in his report.
Reports have surfaced that Ramesh Chennithala has also written a letter to Sonia Gandhi expressing his displeasure over the way he was unceremoniously removed from the post of the opposition leader.