On Thursday, September 2, BV Srinivas, National President of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), announced a list of 72 spokespersons for the youth wing of the Indian National Congress party. In a matter of few hours, fives names in the list — all from the Kerala unit of IYC — had to be put on hold following rumblings within the party. Arjun Radhakrishnan, son of Congress veteran and senior legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, is at the center of the internal feud.
The five IYC spokespersons from Kerala included three female members and two male members — Athira Rajendran, Neethu Usha, Preethi, Denni Jose and Arjun Radhakrishnan. However, a section of party workers is not happy about Arjun's appointment as they alleged nepotism.
Arjun, an engineer by profession, told the media that he has no clue why the list was put on hold, but he was not upset about it. He said the appointment was based on merit, and that he had attended an interview for it. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also reacted to the issue, stating he has no role in Arjun's appointment. Meanwhile, BV Srinivas told Mathrubhumi that the decision to freeze the names from Kerala has no connection with any person.
There were allegations that MLA Shafi Parambil, the Youth Congress state president, knew about the appointment earlier. However, Shafi told the media that no discussions were held with Kerala leadership, and that he is against Arjun’s name being included in the list. He said there are more experienced Youth Congress workers in Kerala. "Being the son of a Congress leader doesn't warrant an advantage. That said, it need not be seen as a disadvantage either," said Shafi Parambil.
The MLA also ruled out the speculation that All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary KC Venugopal had a role in Arjun’s appointment. There have been speculations that Arjun’s appointment was a favour for Radhakrishnan for joining the new power centre involving Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, which is controlled by Venugopal.
The internal feud in the Indian Youth Congress comes at a time when KPCC, too, has been witnessing fresh infightings over the selection of 14 district party presidents. While the District Congress Committee (DCC) appointments gave an upper hand to Sudhakaran and VD Satheesan, it sidelines party veterans such as Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala.
(With IANS input)