Ramesh Chennithala, a senior member of the Congress, who was left out of the CWC, said on Monday that he would always be loyal to the party but that he was upset over not being selected for the important position in the highest decision-making body.
Having previously held the position when Sonia Gandhi was the AICC president 19 years before, Chennithala, who was only nominated as a permanent invitee to the CWC, said he felt “strange” when he was re-appointed to the same role.
He said that when the news of the CWC’s establishment broke, he had considerable mental discomfort. However, he made it clear how important the party is to him.
Congress is in my life and breath, the senior leader said to reporters here, breaking his silence on the subject days after avidly taking part in celebrations for the party candidate’s win in the Puthuppally Assembly bypoll. “I have never left my party or rejected the party….Congress is in my life and breath,” the senior leader said.
When forced to resign as Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly shortly after the Assembly elections in 2021, the Haripad MLA said he had emotions similar to those of any other person.
“I wasn’t upset that I lost that job; I was upset with how the issue was handled. There were several communication breakdowns, according to Chennithala.
After the CPI(M)-led LDF defeated the party-led UDF in the 2021 legislature elections, Chennithala was succeeded as leader of the opposition in the state legislature by V D Satheesan.
Despite not holding a significant post for the previous two years, the former state home minister said he still actively worked with discipline for the party and spoke up for the people.
“The working committee’s announcement then appeared. It seems to have several contradictions. Many persons who are younger than me have been appointed to the working committee at the national level, Chennithala stated.
Declaring himself a devoted employee of the Congress, he said that anytime he brought up complaints with the leadership, they were immediately handled and that he has always accepted any decisions made by the party.
Whatever he has to say on the CWC problem, he promised to relay to the top leadership.
Leader of the Opposition Satheesan and AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal both served under Chennithala’s direction while they were active in the party, and he hoped to be recognized as a CWC member.
While Shashi Tharoor, who joined the Congress party less than ten years ago, was named a CWC member, the veteran politician was only invited to the important committee of the Congress on a permanent basis.
A K Antony, Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, and special invitee Kodkikkunnil Suresh, according to Chennithala, are among the state Congress members who have found a spot in the CWC and are qualified for the position.
The CWC, the party’s highest decision-making body, was recreated by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge last month. Among the 84 members were certain G23 figures, like Tharoor and Anand Sharma, who had previously been critical of the party’s leadership.
The crucial Congress Working Committee was established 10 months after Kharge assumed leadership after beating Tharoor in the party president elections. It consists of 15 women, leaders from underrepresented groups, and a number of individuals under the age of 50.
The new CWC contains 39 regular members, 32 permanent invitees, some of whom are state in-charges, and 13 special invitees, including ex-officio members who are the presidents of the Youth Congress, National Students’ Union of India, Mahila Congress, and Seva Dal.