Kerala Congress (M) chairman and Finance Minister K.M. Mani said in Kottayam on Monday that he was not averse to stepping down from the Cabinet if the party did not get a positive response from the Central government on the controversial clauses in the K. Kasturirangan committee recommendations on Western Ghats conservation.
Mr. Mani was speaking to mediapersons who met him on the sidelines of a function organised to launch the market intervention scheme for natural rubber.
Mani hopeful The Kerala Congress(M) leader, however, expressed hope that the Union government would not go against the demands raised by hundreds of thousands of farmers to do away with the controversial provisions in the panel recommendations.
Mr. Mani’s response comes days after those belonging to the former P.J. Joseph faction within his party raised the issue and expressed their willingness to step down on the issue.