Why UDF convenor opened a battlefront against his own CM VD Satheesan
The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and Congress in Kerala have been in firefighting mode ever since alliance convenor and Lok Sabha MP Adoor Prakash fired a salvo against chief minister V.D. Satheesan, accusing him of taking key governance decisions without consulting partners.
Prakash, 74, is a veteran Congress leader and a seasoned strategist. He has been representing the Attingal Lok Sabha constituency since 2019. He was elected to the legislative assembly five times from Konni and twice served as minister in the Oommen Chandy-led UDF governments in the past.
Prakash’s criticism last week was triggered by the Satheesan government’s decision to appoint Dr M.K. Muneer, a leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), as chairman of the Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission and Forward Bloc general secretary G. Devarajan as State Special Representative of Kerala in New Delhi. IUML and Forward Bloc are UDF constituents. The two posts enjoy stature of cabinet rank.
Prakash has stuck to his claim that the appointments were made by the chief minister without consulting the UDF. “I stand by what I’ve stated on record and express the sentiments of the majority of party (Congress) workers who worked to bring the party to power,” he told INDIA TODAY.
At a press conference, he claimed UDF meetings were not being convened and that alliance leaders were getting to know about key developments only through the media.Prakash’s remarks are seen by UDF critics as clear signs of tensions within the alliance just months into assuming power in the state. But there are also those who disagree. Kasargod MP and Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan criticised Prakash, saying he, as the UDF convenor, should not have gone public with his complaints.
“Adoor Prakash is responsible for defending the government and the ruling coalition. He could have raised his grievances at appropriate party fora,” Unnithan said.
The tussle has predictably provided ammunition to the Opposition. CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan said on October 3 that signs that the UDF was crumbling were evident. “The UDF convenor has himself stated that he was not aware about the decisions of the government. How can any government function democratically without consultations? V.D. Satheesan is out to execute RSS agendas with the IUML’s support. But he will face severe protests from us,” Govindan said in a conversation with INDIA TODAY.
Political commentator and former Lok Sabha MP Dr Sebastian Paul expressed surprise at the pace of tensions unfolding in the UDF. “V.D. Satheesan came to power with a massive mandate from the people and support of Congress workers, but he seems to have lost his charisma within a short span in power. It seems resentment is growing over the way the chief minister is allegedly taking solo decisions in a coalition government,” Paul told INDIA TODAY.
After registering his protest against the chief minister, Prakash visited AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi in New Delhi on October 5 and briefed her.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who has been keeping a distance from the tug of war between Satheesan and Prakash, told the media that the Congress high command was aware of the developments and would intervene accordingly. And in a sign that this row could take the long course, Satheesan arrived in New Delhi late evening on October 5 to brief Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC officials about his position.
