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Kerala CM skips Congress féte over the liquor policy!

Trivandrum — Congress, which heads the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, celebrated the party’s 129th birth anniversary on Sunday amid concerns over the raging proxy war between party president VM Sudheeran and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over the liquor policy.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his close confidant and party vice-president M M Hassan displayed their anger at Sudheeran for putting the government in the dock over the issue by keeping off the celebrations held at Indira Bhavan, the state headquarters of the party. Earlier, Sudheeran had backed out of the state camp of ‘Janasree Mission’ headed by Hassan.

There were reports that the chief minister was not invited to the function. However, Sudheeran said that he had personally invited Chandy.

Sources close to Chandy said that the chief minister could not attend the function as he had a programme to attend at his home constituency of Puthupally. Party men are not ready to accept this as they believe that the party’s foundation day is much more important than the other function.

Political observers view Chandy’s absence as a reflection of his mounting bitterness with Sudheeran, who had accused him of changing the police under influence from external forces. The chief minister believes that the Christian Church had turned against the government because of Sudheeran’s charge. The party chief, however, indicated efforts to solve the problems plaguing the party while speaking at the birth anniversary function. Sudheeran said there were several issues on which there were serious differences.