Kerala Congress (M) splits; Jose K Mani 'elected' chairman
Kottayam, Jun 16: The Kerala Congress (M), a key partner of the Congress-led UDF, suffered a split Sunday with a faction in the party electing Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani, son of its founder late K M Mani, as the Chairman.
The development capped weeks-long infighting in the party between supporters of Jose Mani and working chairman P J Joseph following the demise of K M Mani in April this year.
Jose K Mani was elected as the chairman of the party by the leaders supporting him at a meeting of the State Committee members here convened by him.
Hours ahead of the meeting, the faction led by Joseph declared it as invalid and said it was against the party Constitution.
After the meeting, 'presiding officer' K Z Kunjeriya announced to the party workers that Jose K Mani has been "elected unanimously" as chairman.
Out of 437 state committee members of the party, as many as 325 attended the meeting, the faction leaders claimed.
The Kerala Congress which has a history of splits since its inception in 1964, has a strong base in the central Travancore belt, especially among Christians.
Expressing his gratitude to the party leaders for electing him as 'chairman', Jose K Mani said "K M Mani sir is with is in our forward journey. I will work hard to follow the path shown by him."
The party would function unitedly, he said in his speech in the presence of mediapersons.
According to leaders of the Joseph faction, there are a total of 437 members in the Kerala Congress (M)s jumbostate committee.
Senior leaders of the party, including former Rajya Sabha MP Joy Abraham, MLAs C F Thomas and Mons Joseph, did not attend the meeting, sources in the Joseph faction claimed.
Out of five MLAs of the Kerala Congress (M), only two -- attended the meeting.
Jose K Mani's followers said KC(M)'s Idukki MLA Roshy Augustine and Kanjirappally MLA N Jayaraj and lone Lok Sabha MP of the party, Thomas Chazhikadan, were the prominent leaders who attended the meeting.
Trouble had been brewing in the party following the demise of K M Mani.
Partys Organisational General Secretary Joy Abrahams letter to Chief Election Officer Teeka Ram Meena declaring Joseph asKC(M) chairman after the veteran's death had been opposed by the faction headed by Jose K Mani.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
