Kerala - Kozhikode   

Antony calls for unity among cadres

Kozhikode: Defence Minister A.K. Antony has exhorted Congress activists to stay united to trounce the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the three-tier local body elections next year and the Assembly elections in May 2011.

Addressing a special convention of the District Congress Committee (DCC) at the party office here on Tuesday, Mr. Antony said the Congress was staging a comeback at the national level by winning the Lok Sabha polls. The party made astounding victories in the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana. The party in the State should also be part of that resurgence, he said.

Mr. Antony said the scuffle witnessed during the organisational polls of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) last week was unfortunate. This should not happen again, as more organisational elections were to follow. Factionalism in the party would end in failure, he said.

The senior Congress leader said the party needed more legislators from the district in the next Assembly elections as well as amazing victories in the municipal, Corporation and panchayat elections. The people of the State had suffered so much under the rule of the CPI (M), he said.

Responding to a suggestion from DCC president K.C. Abu seeking the Centre to announce a special package for the coconut growers in the State, Mr. Antony said the Union government had raised the floor price of copra to Rs.4,450 a quintal. However, if the benefit was to reach the coconut farmers, the State government should procure the desired capacity.

Mr. Antony felicitated five youths Pradeep, Deepak, Prasoon, Dinky and Prajith who had averted a major fire at a retail petrol bunk of the Indian Oil Corporation on the Pavamani Road on Sunday night.

Union Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran, M.K. Raghavan and M.I. Shanavas, MPs, Congress leaders P. Sankaran, Cyriac John, M. Veerankutty, A. Sujanapal and M. Kamalam were present.

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