The Hindu : Thankachan justifies action

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Thankachan justifies action

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, MARCH 22. The KPCC acting president, P. P. Thankachan, today said that he had acted well within the party constitution while issuing show-cause notices to the KPCC office-bearers, Saratchandra Prasad and Rajmohan Unnithan.

The Congress leader, P. C. Chacko, had earlier expressed doubts whether the Mr. Thankachan's act was justified.

"The acting president of the KPCC has all the powers of a KPCC president and I have acted well within the constitution", Mr. Thankachan said, while talking to media persons here today.

Mr. Thankachan said that those who were campaigning in the constituencies even before the party high command had announced the candidates was doing it at their own risk. The party would ask the disciplinary committee to probe the allegations raised against the Minister for Electricity, K. Muraleedharan, once it was convinced that there is something substantial in the allegations, he said.

Almost everyone in the party had breached the party discipline in the past and even Mr. Unnithan and Mr. Prasad had confessed that they had violated party discipline and sought apology from the public and the Congress workers for that, he said.

"However, all that happened in the past is a closed chapter and the party wants to begin organisational activities afresh. Everyone in the party is convinced that what happened in the past will not do well for the party," he said.

The criticism raised by the Mahila Congress State president, Shanimol Usman and P. C. Chacko could not be viewed together with the statements of Mr. Unnithan and Mr. Prasad as they were airing their differences of opinion regarding the selection of candidates.

However, it was not the case with Mr. Prasad and Mr. Unnithan as both of them had raised serious personal criticism and corruption charges against the party candidate who was to contest from the Wadakkanchery constituency, he said.

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