Southern States - Kerala   

Sulky leader keeps all guessing

By Girish Menon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Jan. 31. Was the strategy of Karunakaran MLAs to keep off the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address a success or a failure? What is the motive behind such a move?

This is the current talking point in Congress circles at the end of the three- day debate in which none of the Karunakaran MLAs participated, let alone make an appearance during the debate. (It is a different matter that they did turn up for the voting at the end of the debate).

The anti-Karunakaran factions have dubbed the Leader's move a miserable failure. "The decision to stay away from the debate hardly created a ripple. Besides, we also did not give much importance to their demands,'' according to them.

"We have succeeded in registering our protest in the most silent manner. Had we participated in the debate, we would have had to criticise the Government. Our intention is not to embarrass the Government, but to send a message to the Congress High Command that not all are with the current CLP leadership,'' according to some of the MLAs supporting Mr. Karunakaran.

The Karunakaran MLAs had announced that they would not participate in the debate in protest against the Government move to convene the CLP earlier to discuss the various issues affecting the party and the Government, particularly the functioning of the police. They had been demanding the convening of the CLP to enable the MLAs, the people's representatives to express their views about the functioning of the Government. The Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, who is also the CLP leader, however, refused to meet a delegation of Karunakaran MLAs on the demand for a CLP meet when the Assembly was not in session and give them a hearing on the basis of factional consideration.

It is also significant to note that the KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan, was forced to take a backseat in the issue. He could not make a dent as a trouble-shooter as the list of speakers for the debate was prepared at the CLP meeting, which he did not attend. In the subsequent CLP and joint UDF parliamentary party meeting, the issue was hardly raised.

Some of the Opposition MLAs did raise the Karunakaran MLAs non-participation in the debate, but the ruling front members who participated in the debate took care not to give a reply. It is also a fact that the Karunakaran MLAs took special care not to lobby with the Opposition members, particularly the CPI(M) to rake up the issue in the Assembly. Whatever the final assessment be, none of the factional leaders are too sure about Mr. Karunakaran's strategy. Is it merely a move to keep the embers of factionalism burning till February 6 after his granddaughter's wedding? Or is it in the context of the Rajya Sabha elections which are round the corner? In any case, the octogenarian leader as usual has succeeded in keeping friends and foes guessing.

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