THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the AICC leadership's dictum against the KPCC leaders from making public statements, senior leaders are giving scant regard to it. When there are reports that it will take close to four months to announce the next PCC chief, senior leaders like K. Muraleedharan and V. D. Satheeshan have publicly spoken against PCC chief V. M. Sudheeran. In fact, in the rat race for the post of the new PCC chief, Mr Muraleedharan and Mr Satheeshan's names are on the top of the AICC list.

Ever since Ramesh Chennithala was projected as the Opposition Leader, it has not gone down well with the two. While it was Mr Muraleedharan who first pointed his fingers against Chennithala at a function in Kozhikode on Saturday to commemorate former Mayor P. T. Madhusoodanan Kurup, Satheeshan also ranted against the party. Muraleedharan had alleged that Congress had failed in its ability to stage strikes, pointing fingers at Chennithala. He went on to add that even senior leaders are not coming forward to stage agitations. But Chennithala camp has initiated damage control measures and has expressed their displeasure at their outbursts.

“Muraleedharan’s ranting does not come as a surprise. He had ditched the party a few years ago and formed another party which has left him as a ‘newcomer’ in Congress now. By their outbursts, the two have fallen short, and the AICC leadership is peeved at them,” said a senior leader in the ‘I’ camp.

However, party sources told DC that Muraleedharan and Satheeshan were keen to see to it that all the three senior leaders of the party – Oommen Chandy, V. M. Sudheeran and Chennithala are stepped down for the debacle. Instead, Muraleedharan was keen to see that he be appointed as the Opposition Leader and Satheeshan as the party chief.

But this plan did not work out as planned as the three senior leaders joined hands to make Chennithala as the Opposition Leader. “These two leaders’ opinions are not the collective voice of the party," said a senior leader casting aspersions on the two reformists. But leaders close to Muraleedharan retaliated citing that the public and the average party supporter prefer to see him as the next party chief.