Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 26:
The Congress has a dozen leaders in Kerala capable of leading the state, and that is the strength of the party, unlike the ruling LDF, which has only one chief ministerial face–Pinarayi Vijayan, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has said.
In an interview, while not denying that he is an aspirant for the top post, Chennithala said that the Congress’s first priority is to win the crucial polls, and that the party leadership will decide who should be the next Chief Minister.
“We are not projecting anybody as Chief Minister,” the Congress Working Committee member said, when asked why Congress is fighting polls without a CM face.
He said the party’s state leadership had discussed everything during a recent meeting with Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
“The Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) and Rahul Gandhi categorically said that the priority is to win the election, and that the chief ministership will be decided later,” said Chennithala while campaigning in his constituency, Haripad, in this coastal district.
Asked whether he aspired to be the chief ministerial face in the election, he said, “It is not a question of aspirants. We have a dozen leaders who are capable of leading the state. That is the strength of the Congress party here, unlike the Communist Party.”
He said the CPI(M) has only one face–Pinarayi Vijayan–whereas the Congress has a dozen leaders who are capable of becoming Chief Minister.