Thiruvananthapuram, February 16 – The Congress party on Monday sought to distance itself from senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's public praise of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, which triggered outrage within the party's ranks in the state.
Aiyar had praised Vijayan's leadership on Sunday, predicting that he would return to power for a third consecutive term. This statement rattled the Congress's Kerala unit, which has been aiming to oust the Left Front government from the state.
With the party attempting to intensify its attack on the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the statement was seen as undermining its campaign narrative.
Seeking to contain the damage, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, on Monday, made it clear that Aiyar's comments did not reflect the party's official position.
"This is not the Congress's opinion. It is his personal opinion," Venugopal said, adding that Aiyar has not been involved in Congress activities for some time.
"He was a Congressman, that's true, but such an opinion is entirely personal and not the party's view," he asserted.
This clarification underscores the discomfort within the party's central leadership over the controversy.
In Kerala, grassroots leaders reacted sharply, arguing that Aiyar's praise undermines workers who have been agitating against what they describe as anti-people policies of the Vijayan government.
Several pointed to arrests and street protests led by Congress, Youth Congress, and KSU activists, questioning the timing and tone of the remarks.
Critics within the party also noted that the Congress party has been attempting to leverage anti-incumbency sentiment following local body and by-election setbacks suffered by the Left.
Aiyar's forecast of a third straight term for CM Vijayan, they argue, weakens that political messaging.
While the episode may eventually subside, it has exposed the fragility of internal coherence within the Congress at a time when opposition unity and narrative discipline are seen as crucial.
For now, the party's official line is clear: Aiyar spoke for himself and not for Congress.
