Sonia asks Cong workers in Kerala to shun groupism

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today asked her party workers in Kerala to shun groupism and fight the coming Lok Sabha polls unitedly.
"I have no group. We are all one group. We are all Congressmen," Gandhi said while launching the election campaign for the party at a special convention here.
"We will fight the coming polls unitedly and will win the elections" she said amid loud applause from Congress workers.
She also said she expected Congress and its UDF allies to win more than the 16 seats they won in the previous Lok Saba polls.
Gandhi's remark was in response to speculation that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has resentment over choice of V M Sudheeran as new Kerala PCC President after the incumbent Ramesh Chennithala joined the ministry as state Home minister.

Earlier, Chandy referred to the issue of his absence at the Naval airport here yesterday to receive Sonia Gandhi, which triggered a controversy that Chandy deliberately kept away as he was not happy with the choice of Sudheeran.

Chandy said he got Gandhi's tour programme only late in the evening day before yesterday and on contacting her office in Delhi he was informed that there was no reception at the airport as she was immediately proceeding to Lakshadweep.
"I was informed that I need not be present at the airport," he added.
On his absence from the function at which Sudheeran assumed charge as new KPCC President, Chandy said he had told Sudheeran that he had some pressing engagement which required his presence.

Claiming he has no differences with Sudheeran, Chandy said the Congress in the state would fight elections unitedly.
Expressing the same sentiment, Sudheeran said he did not belong to any group in the party."My group is Congress and we all belong to that one group," he added.
Sudheeran also recalled the statement of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi at a recent Congress convention in Jaipur that "tri-colour flag is our religion and in Congress is our faith.