Thiruvananthapuram, September 7 (Daily Kiran) : The Kerala Congress leadership has opted for a conciliatory approach in dealing with internal disputes involving MLA Ramya Haridas. Instead of pursuing disciplinary action against her, the party aims to separate her from her controversial associate, Palayam Pradeep. This decision seeks to ease tensions within the party and prevent further conflicts.
The state unit of Congress is expected to issue clear directives to Haridas, instructing her to cease collaboration with Pradeep and to keep him away from her political activities in the constituency. This move comes after numerous complaints from local Congress leaders who alleged that Pradeep’s constant presence was causing undue interference in party matters and was a significant factor in the disputes and stress within the regional unit.
The decision followed discussions between Haridas and K.C. Venugopal, Congress’s General Secretary (Organization). Venugopal advised her to work in coordination with local party leadership and to avoid factionalism. After their meeting, party officials concluded that the matter should not escalate further and that efforts should be made to resolve the issues at hand.
This resolution comes on the heels of disciplinary actions initiated by the state Congress following a physical altercation between Haridas’ associate and local party leaders. Based on an initial report from the party’s investigative committee, both Pradeep and S. Sajjad, the vice president of the Kuthallur mandalam, were suspended from the party’s primary membership. The committee had investigated complaints and counter-complaints from both sides.
District Panchayat member Sajjad Mutappalam and other local leaders expressed their frustration over Pradeep’s ongoing interference in constituency-level party affairs. They claimed his involvement at meetings and public events exceeded that of a supportive role.
Conversely, Haridas and Pradeep countered with allegations that Mutappalam had summoned them to his home and assaulted them. Before submitting its initial report, the party’s investigative committee recorded statements from six DCC officers and two block Congress presidents from Chirayinkeezhu. Following this, the party leadership cited damage to its image as a reason for taking action against representatives from both factions.
State Congress President Sani Joseph and senior leader K. Muraleedharan publicly expressed their discontent with these incidents, labeling them a source of embarrassment for the party. As the leadership seeks to resolve this dispute, it appears unlikely that further action will be taken against Haridas or her associates at this time.
The strategy now seems clear: reprimand the MLA, resolve the surrounding controversies, unify opposing factions, and close a chapter that has already caused significant embarrassment for the Congress party.
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