The Hindu : KC(J) getting ready to leave LDF

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

KC(J) getting ready to leave LDF

By Gouridasan Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 17. The Kerala Congress (Joseph) is getting ready to leave the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF).

The KC(J) leadership has had several rounds of discussions with the Kerala Congress (Mani) leader and Revenue Minister, K.M. Mani, on the merger of the two parties, thereby paving the way for the return of the KC(J) into the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) over a decade after the party decided to throw its lot with the LDF, mainly on account of the persuasive skills of the late E.M.S. Namboodiripad.

The straws in the wind suggest that the KC(J) has been promised a berth in the Cabinet besides the Muvattupuzha Lok Sabha seat which has, in the perception of the KC(M), `fallen vacant' following the exit of the incumbent, P.C. Thomas, from the party.

The KC(M) and KC(J) had made a serious bid for merger before the last Assembly election, but their attempt did not succeed due to strong opposition from within the KC(J) and lack of agreement on the terms of the merger. This time too, there is a voice of strong dissent to the merger move from the party general secretary and MLA, P.C. George. But the decision of the party leadership now is to dump Mr. George if he is not willing to join the merger bandwagon. Mr. George is aware of this situation and seems resigned to a possible parting of ways with his long-time compatriot, the former Revenue Minister, P.J. Joseph. Mr. George considers Mr. Mani his bete noire and has been unsparing in his criticism of the veteran leader.

There have been hints aplenty in recent times suggesting the KC(J)'s unhappiness in the LDF. Indicating their divergent perceptions on the subject, the party MLAs, K.C. Joseph and P.C. George, have been behaving in diametrically opposing ways both within and outside the Assembly whenever it came to attacking the Government. While Dr. Joseph has mostly been soft on the Government, Mr. George has been going hammer and tongs at it.

The LDF leadership sensed something was amiss when the KC(J) leaders began demonstrating lack of interest in many of the joint campaigns of the Opposition alliance. The refusal of the KC(J) leadership to participate in the indefinite fast by Opposition MLAs to press for a judicial inquiry into the February 19 police firing on Adivasis at Muthanga was the latest instance when the KC(J) made it known that it had no plans to travel the whole distance with the LDF on the Adivasi issue.

The LDF leaders had another surprise when three senior leaders of the party, Mr. Joseph, the party chairman, Eapen Varghese and Dr. Joseph, turned up at the last meeting of the LDF State committee held on April 13 to decide the strategy to be adopted in the Rajya Sabha poll. The meeting was not exactly of serious consequence because it was more or less expected to decide to give the second preference vote to the dissident Congress candidate, K. Govindan Nair.

Equally surprisingly, none of the KC(J) nominees were present at today's meeting of the LDF State committee where one of the main points of discussion was the strategy to be adopted to take advantage of the crisis in the ruling UDF. The decision to meet was taken by the LDF leaders when they met on April 13 and the KC(J) leaders were privy to the decision. However, they stayed away from the meeting citing inconvenience today being Maundy Thursday. The normal token participation in such situations was also not there.

The second point that came up for discussion at the meeting was the erosion of an LDF vote in the just-concluded Rajya Sabha election. Though the LDF leaders do not wish to say so openly, many in the Front have the nagging feeling that the loss of an LDF vote amidst the criss-cross voting that took place may well have to do with the KC(J)'s changing stance.

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