Unity eludes Kerala Cong groups

KOCHI, Oct 22: By a coincidence, the leaders of all the three warring groups in the State Congress were in Kochi yesterday. But apparently,...

KOCHI, Oct 22: By a coincidence, the leaders of all the three warring groups in the State Congress were in Kochi yesterday. But apparently, failed to push the unity efforts any further. Irrespective of the unpalatable developments in Uttar Pradesh in the wake of the split in the Congress, senior party leader K Karunakaran, was in a jubilant mood.

He minced no words in attacking his own party leadership for the `failure’ of the party strategy in Uttar Pradesh and the Gujral Government for its `disappointing’ performance.

But when confronted with questions from newspersons here on the state of the party affairs in Kerala, the leader wearing a grim look on face asserted that he would not compromise with his known stand that the party in Kerala could be revived only through organisational elections. He hoped that the process of holding the elections could be set in motion with the proposed visit of AICC General Secretary R K Dhawan in Kerala. He sought to explain the conspicuous absence of T H Mustafa at the group meeting held on Monday.

He said Monday’s was not a group meeting, but a meeting of the DCC leaders called to discuss the party matters. On unity efforts, he said he had done everything within his powers to foster unity in the party. “It would be good for the party and for democracy if greater unity is achieved in the Congress, he said.