Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress functionary and Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan has staked claim for the post of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president. He urged the party high command to consider his decades-long political experience and abandon caste-based considerations in selecting the new chief.Unnithan said he had conveyed his aspirations to the party top brass, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, highlighting his political journey dating back to 1978. He argued that the practice of choosing a KPCC president on the basis of caste equations should come to an end.Recalling his political background, Unnithan said he had served as the official spokesperson of the group led by K Karunakaran and understood well the nature and functioning of factional politics within the party. He blamed excessive group rivalries for weakening the Congress movement in Kerala.Unnithan said the contenders for the KPCC president’s post should be evaluated on the basis of legacy, political tradition, performance, competence and merit. If such criteria are applied, he asserted, no one could exclude him from consideration. He added that he did not seek the backing of any faction and would not align himself with any group.Claiming that he was once among Kerala’s most sought-after public speakers, second only to C M Stephen, Unnithan said there was hardly a panchayat in the state where he had not addressed meetings five or six times.He maintained that merit alone should determine the choice of the next KPCC president and warned that he would strongly oppose any appointment made solely on the basis of caste considerations. Unnithan said the post should not be reduced to a platform for undeserving candidates.Meanwhile, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the party national functionaries had been informed about the difficulty of handling both ministerial responsibilities and the KPCC presidency simultaneously. He added that he would step down if party asks to do so by the leadershipJoseph said he did not know who was putting up flex boards supporting Ramesh Chennithala for the KPCC president’s post. He added that any concerns could be raised in party meetings and before the KPCC, and that the party would take note of the messages conveyed through the flex boards as well.Meanwhile, Chennithala said that the decision on the new KPCC president rests with the Congress high command. He noted that the KPCC currently has a full-time president.
