Congress' Kerala unit needs total revamp: Party veteran Kurien

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 24 At a time when hectic parleys are going on to find a suitable replacement for the Congress state unit Chief K. Sudhakaran, party's veteran leader and former deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha P. J. Kurien advocated for revamp of the grand old party here.

"The need of the hour is a total revamp of the Congress party in Kerala. Let the party high command decide on this, and also, if Sudhakaran needs to be changed," he said.

Kurien claimed that the Congress' Kerala unit has several stalwarts capable of becoming its chief.

The 83-year-old leader has been virtually grounded in his home town in Pathanamthitta district.

After his term ended in 2018, Kurien was expecting another term, but the Congress' who's who in Kerala decided that since he has had a very long innings in Delhi by being a member of the Lok Sabha and the Upper house, chances should be given to others.

After that, he did not have the best of relations with the present crop of leaders who run the party including Sudhakaran, Leader of Opposition V. D.Satheesan, former leader of the opposition and senior legislator Ramesh Chennithala.

With the talks going on for a change of guard in the party, Kurien was caught on the wrong foot when the news surfaced that he played a role in keeping out Satheesan from the list of invitees to the world's largest Christian gathering – Maramon Convention held every year in February on the sand banks of river Pamba in Kurien's home town- Thiruvalla.

Clearing the air over the issue, Kurien said: "Even though I am a member of the Syrian Mar Thoma Church ( which holds the convention) and also have the best of relations with the Church higher-ups, I have had no role in who’s to be invited as this is done by the organizers of the event. What I came to know is this arose due to a communication gap as told to me by the supreme head of the Church."

The Convention over the years has become a hot spot for politicians, especially from the Congress-led UDF and it peaks when elections areapproaching.

The local body polls are scheduled later in the year while the Assembly polls in 2026.