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Cong. confident of resolving Kerala crisis

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 21. The Congress today appeared confident about resolving the crisis within its Kerala unit though senior leaders were circumspect about setting a time-frame even as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K. Muraleedharan, met the party president, Sonia Gandhi, here and hoped for an "early amicable solution''.

With the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran — whose decision to field a candidate against the party's official candidates for last week's Rajya Sabha elections from the State triggered the present crisis — expected to meet Ms. Gandhi in the next couple of days, the AICC general-secretary in-charge of Kerala, Ambika Soni, said: "I hope it will be settled. Our aim is to resolve the whole issue.''

However, the central leadership continued to maintain that the party was weighing its options, keeping in mind the need to strengthen the organisation while underlying the importance of members working within the "parameters of discipline''.

The Kerala issue kept the high command preoccupied for a considerable part of the day with the two observers — Gulam Nabi Azad and R. K. Dhawan — meeting Ms. Gandhi along with Ms. Soni this morning. Besides updating Ms. Gandhi on the situation in Kerala following her conversation with Mr. Karunakaran last Saturday, the trio also suggested a possible course of action.

What action has been suggested, Ms. Soni did not indicate. Neither would she be drawn into indicating whether it was any different from the one suggested last week after the observers returned from Kerala. All she said was that the Congress president would discuss with the three again before taking a final decision.

This decision in all likelihood will be arrived at after the meeting between Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Karunakaran. As to the possibility of disciplinary action against the MLAs who had voted against the official candidates, Ms. Soni was reluctant to comment; repeatedly stating that "the Congress president is the highest court of appeal''. She was also non-committal on whether the expulsion of the "rebel candidate'', Kodoth Govindan Nair, would be revoked.

For his part, Mr. Muraleedharan said the decision of the high command would be acceptable to the Congress in Kerala. Talking to reporters after his hour-long meeting with Ms. Gandhi this evening — which was preceded by a meeting with Ms. Soni — the KPCC president urged leaders in the State to forget the past, bury their differences, and work for the party's unity.

About his seemingly pro-CPI(M) statements, Mr. Muraleedharan said he had spoken as PCC president and not as any group leader. "Though the CPI(M) is the main Opposition party in Kerala, I said the Congress did not have any problem working with it provided it gave up its confrontationist attitude and was willing to work hand-in-hand for the development of the State.''

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