Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy has said the merger of the two factions of the Kerala Congress will not undermine the unity of the United Democratic Front (UDF) though the merger move had generated political anxiety in some constituents of the front.
Inaugurating a day-long fast by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala here on Tuesday, Mr. Chandy exuded confidence about the UDF's capacity to contain the impact of the merger.
For Comtrust
The KPCC president's agitation was to press for government takeover of Comtrust, a landmark of Kozhikode city, which has been shut down because of financial crisis, and to condemn the alleged moves of the CPI(M) to get hold of the prime land.
Mr. Chandy told presspersons later that the Congress would not give up any of the seats it had contested in the Assembly polls in 2006.
This statement was to lay at rest speculation that the Kerala Congress (Joseph) group's merger with the Kerala Congress (Mani) would embolden that party to demand more seats in the Assembly polls.
Discussions
Mr. Chandy, Indian Union Muslim League State general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty and leader of Janata Dal (Secular) faction M.P. Veerendrakumar had an informal round of discussions on Tuesday on the situation arising out of the merger move and its likely impact on the UDF.
