Congress appears to be facing yet another bout of internal infighting, this time in Kerala, where a clash involving party MLA Ramya Haridas and local Congress workers has led to police cases against both sides. The incident took place at Chirayinkeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday night, 4th September, and within a day, the police registered cases against the MLA as well as Congress workers following complaints from both sides.
The police have registered a case against 15 Congress workers, including seven named by Haridas, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A separate case has also been registered against Haridas based on a complaint filed by Congress worker Sajad. His statement is expected to be recorded by the police.
With both groups accusing each other of assault, the matter has now turned into a full-fledged internal dispute within the Kerala Congress.
What happened between Ramya Haridas and Congress workers?
The dispute reportedly began over a WhatsApp and social media post linked to the participation of Haridas’s staff member, Palayam Pradeep, in a block panchayat committee meeting. The meeting was attended by the Dalit MLA Haridas, other elected representatives and officials. Some members questioned Pradeep’s presence at the meeting, following which a Congress worker posted about the issue on social media.
Haridas said that local Congress leaders manhandled and threatened her over the WhatsApp post. She was injured during the confrontation and was admitted to Chirayinkeezhu Taluk Hospital before being discharged on Saturday morning, 5th September.
Local Congress leaders, however, gave a different version. District panchayat member Sajith Muttambalam and party worker Sajad said that Haridas and her associates confronted them over the social media post, leading to the scuffle.
Video footage shows heated exchange
Footage released after the incident shows an argument between Haridas and local Congress leaders. The situation then escalated, with Haridas seen slapping a Congress leader in the face. The activists can also be seen grabbing her hand and twisting it.
Haridas can be heard saying, “Let go of my hand.”
"Congress smashing the patriarchy in Kerala."
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) September 5, 2026
Their own Dalit woman MLA, Remya Haridas, attacked by own Congress workers.
Congress is Anti SC Anti Women! pic.twitter.com/8ECopI4250
Speaking to the media later, Haridas said that Sajad had repeatedly made negative comments about her on WhatsApp and social media. “When I asked him about the posts, Sajad said he posted the social media posts at the direction of Sajith,” she said.
Congress’ troubles not limited to Kerala
The Kerala episode comes at a time when internal disagreements are also becoming increasingly visible in the Congress unit of Telangana. In recent weeks, differences between Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders have split into the open.
On 3rd September, Revanth Reddy dropped Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha from his Cabinet following a disciplinary dispute linked to remarks made by her daughter, Konda Sushmitha, against the Chief Minister and other Congress leaders. The state Congress disciplinary committee had recommended strict action, and the issue had already triggered demands from several party MLAs for action against Surekha.
Surekha, however, denied wrongdoing and accused Revanth Reddy of using “blackmail politics” to get her removed. She also argued that she should not be held responsible for comments made by her adult daughter. The dispute had earlier exposed tensions between different groups within the Telangana Congress.
The issue had become so serious that senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal, were involved in discussions over the disciplinary action. The Telangana Congress leadership defended the move by saying that party discipline could not be compromised.
The Telangana episode was not limited to Surekha. The government also revoked G Chinna Reddy’s appointment as Vice Chairman of the Telangana Planning Board following another controversy involving his remarks about a Congress MLA. Several key appointments were subsequently reshuffled.
The developments in Kerala and Telangana point to a larger problem for the Congress; internal disagreements are increasingly becoming public.
