New Delhi: In a virtual snub to Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and PCC Chief Ramesh Chennithala, Congress MPs from the state on Tuesday sought senior leader AK Antony's "services" for putting the "house in order" in the party-led UDF government in the state. The MPs made this demand during their interaction with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at Parliament House.
Party MPs and central ministers from the state, including Antony, Vayalar Ravi, KC Venugopal, KV Thomas, Kodikkunnil Suresh and Shashi Tharoor, attended the meeting which lasted for one-and-a-half hour, sources said. The MPs told Gandhi there is a better coordination between Chief Minister Chandy and PCC Chief Chennithala but the government's good performance is marred by the "issues being created by small parties".
They said "Antony has wide acceptability" among leaders of UDF's "small allies" and caste leaders and his "services" is required to solve the crisis in the ruling combine, sources said. The MPs were apparently referring to the crisis in the state government due to differences between leaders of small parties and alliance formed by pro-Congress upper caste Hindu organisation Nair Service Society (NSS) and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) against the Chandy government and KPCC....
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02:25 AM, May 08, 2013
A strong demand for ending the culture of nomination at all levels for democratic functioning of the party and its revival was made at the Congress brainstorming conclave here on January 19. The 'Chintan Shivir' saw a plea for replicating Rahul Gandhi's model of holding elections to the Youth Congress and NSUI in the parent body as well as all its other wings. ...
05:52 PM, Jan 19, 2013
Kottayam: Kerala state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala on Monday categorically denied the possibility of his joining the party-led coalition government's cabinet. "Let me make one thing very clear. Till date there has been no talk of a reshuffle either in the party or in the United Democratic Front. I know the significance of the post of the president of the party that I hold now," said Chennithala. Chennithala was responding...
05:31 PM, Nov 12, 2012
New Delhi: Amidst growing demand for larger role for Rahul Gandhi, Congress' Kerala unit chief Ramesh Chennithala has written to Sonia Gandhi requesting her to appoint the young leader as party Vice President. Sources said Chennithala has requested Gandhi to elevate the party General Secretary as the Vice President to enable him to play larger political role. Earlier this month, Chennithala had requested Rahul Gandhi personally to assume "larger role"...
07:14 PM, Jul 27, 2012
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Owning up joint responsibility, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy have admitted that there were some mistakes in the way the fifth minister berth was allotted to the IUML, which had created discontent among Congress leaders in the state. In the opening remarks of the KPCC executive committee held here on Wednesday, Ramesh admitted that some mistakes had occurred which should be taken as a lesson...
12:11 PM, May 03, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: By conceding the demand of Indian Union Muslim League for a fifth ministerial berth in the Congress-led UDF government, both Congress and Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy have landed in a tight spot with several of its leaders coming out against the decision. Though the issue would not immediately in any way affect the 11-month-old government, which has only a wafer thin majority in the assembly, voices of differences...
10:25 AM, Apr 15, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: Rejecting CPI(M) veteran VS Achuthanandan's contention that the vigilance case against him in a land allotment scam was a political conspiracy, the Congress in Kerala on Saturday said the preliminary probe in the matter revealed the true face of Achuthanandan. "His mask is off. He has always claimed himself to be a bold crusader against corruption. Now the preliminary probe by vigilance shows that he has committed serious irregularities...
01:42 PM, Jan 14, 2012
Idukki: KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala will stage a fast in front of the Martyrs Column in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, as part of a state-wide UDF campaign for a permanent solution to the Mullaperiyar dam issue. The ruling LDF will be organising a human wall from Mullaperiyar in Idukki district to Kochi. The human wall will take shape at around 4 pm and will pass through Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts...
07:20 AM, Dec 08, 2011
New Delhi: Protesting the approval of the FDI in retail, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Chief Ramesh Chennithala has written to the Prime Minister opposing the nod from the government. Chennithala said, "I have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opposing the Union Cabinet decision to throw open the doors of country's retail market." The party in Kerala has been opposing FDI in retail fearing that the opposition Left would...
08:18 AM, Nov 28, 2011
New Delhi: Oommen Chandy has been elected as the Congress Legislative Party leader in Kerala, after the Congress-led UDF on Friday unseated the CPI(M)-led LDF, winning 72 seats. Chandy will be the new Chief Minister of Kerala as Kerala Congress president Ramesh Chennithala opted out of the race on Sunday saying he would like to concentrate on the party instead. Chandy said that the wafer thin majority will not create...
04:54 PM, May 15, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: An air of anxiety pervaded ruling LDF and opposition UDF camps in Kerala with the political profile of the state for the next five years to be decided when counting of votes is taken up on Friday. Never before have voters and candidates in Kerala had to wait for such a long time to know the outcome after exercising their franchise. Elections for the 140 member Assembly were held...
08:47 PM, May 12, 2011
For the past two elections, Achuthandan has won from Malampuzha. But he is not taking a 3rd win for granted it seems, as he has been campaigning in the left bastion for more than 7 days. The Chief Minister is hoping the Centre's corruption taint will keep him in office, instead of his opponent Oommen Chandy. ...
08:27 PM, Apr 06, 2011
New Delhi: The Kerala Congress unit is facing problems from within. There is mutiny in the ranks over seat allotments as Oomen Chandi and PCC chief Ramesh Chennithala corner most of the assembly seats. The Congress party in Kerala is gasping for breath. After the High Command's intervention, senior leader Oommen Chandy cornered a majority of tickets for his followers while state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala succeeded in getting most...
07:24 AM, Mar 25, 2011
New Delhi/ Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Opposition leader and UDF's Chief Ministerial front runner Oommen Chandy, KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala and late leader K Karunakaran's son K Muraleedharan figure in the Congress list of 81 candidates for the April 13 assembly polls in the state. The list, drawn up after marathon discussions in Delhi on Wednesday night and endorsed by the party high command, was released on Wednesday night. Chandy will seek...
10:54 AM, Mar 23, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress election committee has entrusted Kerala senior leader Oommen Chandy and state president Ramesh Chennithala with the task of finalising candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections, a party source said on Saturday. Speaking to IANS, a top party leader confirmed that Chandy and Chennithala will finalise the list and hold discussions with Defence Minister AK Antony and Madhusudhanan Mistry, party general secretary in charge of Kerala, before sending...
03:42 PM, Mar 12, 2011
Central Administrative Tribunal asks Kerala government to reinstate state's suspended IG Tomin Thachankary. ...
04:41 PM, Apr 24, 2010
