Congress leaders in Kerala find revamped PAC unwieldy

There’s hardly any public bickering over the long-drawn-out reconstitution of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), but many leaders feel that the ‘organisational bloat’, as one of them put it, could cause the party severe discomfort. 

While some of them have reconciled to the fact that the arrangement was to ‘accommodate’ everyone in view of the forthcoming elections, they find an oversized political affairs committee (PAC), which was meant to be a high-power body to discuss critical issues, “unwieldy, pointless, and ineffective”. 

“From its original strength of around 20, it has come to feature 39 leaders, many of whom will have to introduce themselves so as to be known to others,” quipped a senior leader from central Kerala.

A comparison

“The revamp doesn’t inspire confidence in the party. In the past, tall leaders would be members of such committees; going by the size and methods of selection now, inclusion in the committee is embarrassing,” he added. The leader resented that those in key positions in the Central leadership were eager to induct their loyalists instead of forming a lean body of leaders with political heft. 

A former KPCC president rued the enfeebling of the PAC. “When I helmed the party, the PAC used to meet once every month and in times of emergency. Discussions and debates would be elaborate until we arrived at a consensus. It has now become a forum to accommodate aspirants,” he said. 

A leader based at the headquarters said the PAC had become a senior citizens’ forum with little dynamism. “It ritualistically meets once in a while and there’s no room for creative discussion,” he said.  

Few voices of women

Shanimol Osman, one of the three women in the 39-member PAC, said all political parties deemed giving representation to women an act of largesse. “Nobody sees it as women’s right. If there was no reservation, women would hardly be given seats to contest elections,” she said. Ms. Osman, however, felt that a large committee with experienced leaders could perform well if it is steered meticulously. 

Some senior leaders are contemplating approaching the party high command and the State leadership with their notes of dissent but no one is ready to blow the whistle in public as they feel it would further imperil the party on the eve of the elections.