Kerala Congress leadership in a tizzy as ‘chief ministerial candidate’ Shashi Tharoor ventures out

A four-day tour of the northern districts is being seen as a bid by Shashi Tharoor to consolidate his base among party workers.

ByK A Shaji

Published Nov 21, 2022 | 6:00 PMUpdatedNov 21, 2022 | 6:00 PM

Kerala congress

Make no mistake about it. Shashi Tharoor aims to be the Congress party’s chief ministerial candidate when the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government completes its term and elections to the Kerala Assembly are held next.

As the international bureaucrat-turned-politician makes his initial moves towards this end barely a month after he contested the election for party chief, there is huge disquiet among the traditional factions of the Congress in Kerala that are trying their best to stymie the man they consider an “outsider”.

But that, as the three main factions — led by former chief minister Oommen Chandy, former home minister Ramesh Chennithala, and AICC organisational general secretary KC Venugopal — are finding to their discomfiture, is not as easy a task as they imagined.

The three groups, which do not usually see eye to eye on most issues, were united in vetoing a Youth Congress-organised seminar on ‘Sangh Parivar and Challenges of Secularism’ in Kozhikode in north Kerala this week, with Tharoor as chief guest.

How the move backfired

But the move backfired spectacularly as a staunchly pro-Congress cultural organisation unilaterally announced its decision to organise the same seminar under its own banner, and undoubtedly with the presence of Tharoor as chief guest.

Tharoor and Oommen Chandy

Tharoor called on veteran Congress leader Oommen Chandy at his residence in Thiruvananathapuram. Chandy’s wife Mariyamma and son Chandy Oommen are also seen. (Supplied)

There was further embarrassment in store for the state Congress grandeees.

As the news of the effort to clip Tharoor’s wings became public, Congress workers across the state openly expressed their disapproval using various social media platforms, even as they expressed solidarity with the three-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Finally, Congress state unit president K Sudhakaran had to issue a statement denying the party leadership had any hand in the Youth Congress’ decision to abandon the seminar to which Tharoor had been invited.

He, in fact, went on to claim in his statement that the pro-party cultural organisation took up the responsibility of holding the seminar as per the collective decision of the party so as to ensure a larger audience and platform for Tharoor.

Tharoor ventures out

All this drama unfolded in the backdrop of an extended tour of north Kerala that Tharoor began on Sunday, 20 November, as part of what is seen as a calculated move to expand his base in the central and northern Kerala regions.

Shashi Throor with MT Vasudevan Nair

Shashi Tharoor with noted writer MT Vasudevan Nair at his residence. (Facebook)

During the four-day tour, Tharoor is scheduled to meet leaders of prominent religious and social groups which manage the traditional vote banks of the Congress in Kerala, apart from attending the odd seminar and meeting.

The tour assumes significance as the state leadership of Congress has never allowed Tharoor to engage in any political activity beyond his Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Constituency in the far south. Nor have they ever entrusted him with any party-related responsibilities.

By breaking the barrier, Tharoor is defying an undeclared ban on his visiting the northern districts and interacting with leaders and followers there.

And he is already striking all the right notes.

Shashi Tharoor with Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil of the CMI at St Thomas Provincial House in Kozhikode. (Facebook)

On Sunday, he kickstarted the tour by visiting legendary Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair at his residence in Kozhikode. Though it was a non-political event, the meeting ensured a perfect beginning to Tharoor’s journey, as Nair commands tremendous respect among different segments of society, especially progressive and secular groups.

He also met powerful Roman Catholic Bishop Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil at his office at Thamarassery in Kozhikode.

Inchananiyil has often taken positions favourable to Congress leaders contesting Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, resulting in churchgoers pooling their votes in favour of the party.

On Tuesday, Tharoor will reach Panakkad in Malappuram district to meet Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Panakkad Syed Sdiqali Thangal and national general secretary PK Kunhalikutty. IUML is the principal ally of Congress in the state, and the party is now at loggerheads with Congress state chief Sudhakaran over his pro-RSS statements.

IUML, which has considerable clout in north Kerala, has invited him to attend a mega seminar on higher education. The IUML leadership has also urged the Congress leadership to provide more opportunities to Tharoor as he has the capacity to take on the BJP-RSS dispensation at the Centre.

After Panakkad, Tharoor will go to Changanassery, the headquarters of the powerful Nair Service Society (NSS), as chief guest at the celebrations marking the birthday of its founder Mannath Padmanabhan.

He will also meet influential Islamic scholar Kanthapuram AP Abubacker Musaliar, who has much following in areas north of Thiruvananthapuram.

In Kannur and Kozhikode, he will address a set of seminars organised by pro-Congress cultural organisations, mainly comprising party followers who are fed up with the group politics in the state unit.

He will also interact with veteran Congress leader KP Unnikrishnan, and media baron-turned-politician MV Shreyams Kumar.

Meanwhile, Tharoor was welcomed by some very enthusiastic supporters.

Related: How president poll helped Tharoor win hearts in Kerala Congress

The schism is visible

Even as Tharoor began his visit to Kannur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, the schism in the party was visible.

Kozhikode District Congress Committee president K Praveen Kumar told the media that the party’s local leadership was not informed about the tour. Only to be countered by  Kozhikode’s Lok Sabha member MK Raghavan who said he himself and shared the tour itinerary “with all concerned”.

MK Raghavan

Kozhikode MP MK Raghavan. (Facebook)

Raghavan, a rare open supporter of Tharoor in the higher echelons of the state Congress, had declared his backing for the latter’s run for election to the party president’s post against Mallikarjun Kharge.

He told South First that the party should have no problem with Tharoor’s tour as he was undertaking it to boost the prospects of Congress in the Lok Sabha elections slated for 2024.

According to Raghavan, Tharoor had won 130 of the 287 votes cast in the state in the AICC presidential election., suggesting more widespread support than the senior Congress leaders would like to admit.

“The state unit of Congress needs Tharoor to infuse a new lease of life into the party machinery. Those who love the Congress should not object to his active involvement with organisational affairs in districts outside Thiruvananthapuram,” said Raghavan.

The backstory

When Tharoor was declared Congress candidate for Thiruvananthapuram before the 2009 Lok Sabha election, it had shocked the state leadership. They have since considered him someone who was “imported” under pressure from the party’s national leadership.

Most senior Kerala Congress leaders at that time objected to his candidature, saying it would be difficult for an outsider with poor command over Malayalam and an inability to wear the Kerala mundu to win in a constituency like Thiruvananthapuram.

tharoor

Tharoor with senior Kerala leaders of Congress, including former chief minister Oommen Chandy, and Ramesh Chennithala. (South First)

Tharoor not only proved them wrong by winning that election, but scored a hattrick by winning the constituency two more times, his natural charm helping him connect with both the elite and less privileged among the voters.

He now speaks Malayalam fairly well and carries off the mundu with typical Kerala aplomb.

Despite his stunning performance in a constituency where the CPI(M) and BJP have many traditional citadels, Congress leaders in Kerala have never acknowledged his calibre.

“He was never part of KPCC, and no organisational role was assigned. The powerful groups within the party led by Chandy, Chennithala and KC Venugopal did not accommodate him. He was never consulted on organisational matters — even after the humiliating defeat the party suffered in the last Assembly election,” veteran journalist and social observer BRP Bhaskar had told South First in an earlier interview.