Chirayinkeezhu Clash Brings Congress Factional Rift Into the Open; Leadership Scrambles for Damage Control

Thiruvananthapuram: The recent violent clash involving MP Ramya Haridas and local party functionaries in Chirayinkeezhu has blown the lid off the deep-seated factional wars festering within the Congress, dragging bitter internal conflicts out of closed-door party meetings and spilling them directly onto the streets.

The Congress has begun efforts to resolve the dispute within the party following a verbal altercation and physical confrontation between MP Ramya Haridas and local party leaders in Chirayinkeezhu, after police registered cases over the incident.

The move is aimed at settling the issue internally. KPCC president Sunny Joseph had appointed a three-member committee led by M M Hassan to investigate the incident. Ramani P Nair and Neyyattinkara Sanal are the other members of the committee.

The committee has summoned both groups involved in the confrontation to Thiruvananthapuram today. They have been directed to appear at the KPCC office at 11 am.

Based on Ramya's complaint that she was attacked, the Chirayinkeezhu police registered a case against 14 people, including Congress leaders and workers, invoking non-bailable sections. The accused include DCC general secretary N Viswanathan Nair, Youth Congress state secretary and district panchayat member Sajith Muttappalam, and Sajjad, the owner of the house where the confrontation took place and a Congress block secretary.

Sajith and Sajjad had also submitted two complaints against Ramya, but police have not registered cases based on those complaints.

Meanwhile, the local Congress leadership has lodged a complaint against Congress leader Palayam Pradeep, who had accompanied Ramya to Sajjad's house. They have also alleged that Ramya's claim that she was attacked is false.

Senior Congress leaders, however, want the dispute to be settled as quickly as possible, saying the developments have brought disrepute to the party. Minister K Muraleedharan had said the Chirayinkeezhu incident had damaged the party's reputation and should not be repeated.

Muraleedharan also said elected representatives should exercise greater caution and approach the KPCC president instead of going directly to the police with complaints.

The ugly turn of events in Chirayinkeezhu lays bare the persistent factional rot and systemic self-sabotage plaguing the Congress party across Kerala, where localized turf wars, bitterness over cooperative elections, and clashes over staff interference routinely eclipse political opposition. What should function as a unified organizational machinery instead frequently degenerates into chaotic public spectacles—fueled by proxy social media feuds and unchecked ego clashes among local strongmen—leaving state leadership scrambling with reactive damage-control panels while the party's public standing takes a severe beating.