Sunny Joseph says ready to step down as KPCC chief upon AICC demand

Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph, who is also the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, said on Sunday that he had informed the All India Congress Committee (AICC) of his willingness to step down from the latter post citing difficulty in handling dual responsibilities.

Speaking to the media at Iritty, Mr. Joseph said he would vacate the party post immediately if the high command asked him to do so. Referring to flex boards reportedly demanding his resignation from the KPCC post, Mr. Joseph said he did not know who had put them up. “If anybody has concerns, they should raise them at party meetings,” he said, adding that the issues highlighted in the flex boards would also be taken into consideration.

On the power situation in the State, Mr. Joseph said load-shedding was not widespread, but any power disruption was a matter of concern. He said he understood football fans’ disappointment over power interruptions during the World Cup matches.

Reasons cited

The Minister attributed the power crisis mainly to the heatwave and deficient rainfall. He said the State was facing pressure because electricity purchased from outside had to be returned, even as water level in State’s reservoirs had fallen and power production had come down.

He said the situation could not be termed a failure of the State government alone, as rainfall had been deficient across the country and Kerala too had received below-average rain. Mr. Joseph said the agreement with the Adani Group in connection with the replacement of electricity meters would be examined to determine whether there had been any violation of rules.