Power struggle between Shwetha Menon and Kukku Parameswaran? Internal strife worsens in AMMA, Public meeting on June 21

KOCHI: Power struggles, lack of consensus, accusations and counter-accusations among office bearers escalated the internal strife in the star-studded organisation 'AMMA'. Members will protest at the general meeting on June 21 against the leadership that failed to resolve the issues and complaints.

The problems in AMMA came to light when Ansiba Hassan resigned from the post of Joint Secretary. The dismissal of the office manager appointed by the president by the general secretary led to more revelations. The fact that Treasurer Unni Sivapal had to be given compulsory leave was also a disgrace.

Following Ansiba's footsteps, Neena Kurup also levelled allegations against Tini Tom, a member of the AMMA governing body. Vice President Lakshmi Priya, who filed a case against Ansiba, also came forward. Ansiba revealed that Tini Tom used an Islamophobic slur and ran a slander campaign against her. Neena Kurup also came forward against Tini. Neena complained to the office bearers that Tini Tom used obscene language and threatened her during a family gathering.

Lakshmi Priya took a stand in favour of Tini Tom. She admitted to filing a complaint with the police, saying that the phone message Ansiba sent affected her family.

“When the issue of accepting the temple's sponsorship for the family reunion arose, it was Ansiba who accused me of religious extremism.” Lakshmi Priya also denied Ansiba's allegation that Tini called her a 'Jihadi'.

Members say that the disagreement and power struggle between President Shwetha Menon and General Secretary Kukku Parameswaran has seriously affected AMMA. Activities have become out of sync. Even meeting decisions are not communicated to the members. Efforts have also been made to amend the organisation's bylaws to extend some of the powers of the General Secretary to the President. The move is to introduce the amendment at the general meeting.