Upset Over Party Relinquishing RS Seat, Congress Cadre Put Up Kerala HQ For Sale On OLX

The raging controversy within Congress party in Kerala continues with its cadre adopting novel methods to protest the high command’s decision to give up its Rajya Sabha seat to Kerala Congress (Mani) to lure it back to the United Democratic Front (UDF), Indian Express reported. During the weekend, a couple of party workers put up the party’s state headquarters for sale on OLX.

The party workers said the office was on sale for Rs 10,000 and interested parties could contact either Kerala Congress (Mani) or the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). The Congress has been witnessing an upheaval over the last 4-5 days after it decided to offer the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by senior leader and deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha P J Kurien to Kerala Congress (Mani). IUML’s senior leader P K Kunhalikutty played a crucial role in getting Congress to offer the seat to the Mani group.

The Mani group had quit the UDF in August 2016 after being in the alliance for over two decades, upset over its treatment by the Congress. The party had been contemplating leaving UDF since 2014, unhappy over its leader and then Finance Minister K M Mani being forced to quit as minister on allegations of corruption. Since leaving the alliance, the Mani group has been sitting separately in the Kerala assembly with the party saying it wouldn’t align with the Communist Party of India- Marxist or the Bharatiya Janata Party.

IUML’s planned the move to ensure that the BJP doesn’t woo Kerala Congress (Mani) for an alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP’s had been reportedly wooing the Mani group to try and win a couple of seats in the Kottayam belt.