Congress rebels spar in Pala municipality in Kerala, exposes cracks in ruling combine

A day after the LDF-led ruling combine secured control of Pala municipality with the support of rebel Congress councillors, cracks have begun to show within the group, with differences among the rebels spilling into the open.The discord surfaced after rebel councillors Biju Mathews and Tony Thaiparambil took divergent positions on a decision by the District Congress Committee to initiate legal action against the rebels.Speaking to the media, Mr. Mathews blamed DCC president Nattakom Suresh for aggravating the crisis in the municipality and paving the way for the collapse of the UDF administration. He alleged that Mr.Suresh had acted at the behest of the Independent Collective led by Binu Pulikkakandam and his family, which, he claimed, was at the root of the problems in the municipality.“T