Rahul Gandhi today reviewed the political situation in Kerala at a time when the controversy over the solar panel scam refuses to die down.
The Congress vice President deliberated on the strategy for the Lok Sabha elections with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and PCC Chief Ramesh Chennithala who have been at loggerheads for the last few months.
Senior Congress leaders Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, who is also in-charge of party affairs in Kerala were also present in the meeting, sources said.
Gandhi's meeting with Congress leaders from Kerala came at a time when opposition LDF is running an agressive campaign for removal of Chandy in the wake of the scam.
The Congress central leadership is said to be worried over the developments in the party, including factional feud between groups headed by Chandy and Chennithala, in the state where it had won 16 seats out of 20 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
Gandhi is learnt to have asked the two leaders to put an end to the infighting and work unitedly to strengthen the party before the Lok Sabha polls.
The war between the two factions intensified after Chandy had made an effort to induct Chennithala into his Cabinet.
Chennithala refused to join the government fearing that it would be suicidal for him to be part of a government hit by the solar panel scam.
Both the leaders had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi on this issue and she gave her consent to Chennithala to continue as KPCC chief till Lok Sabha polls.
