The Congress will face the forthcoming elections to the local self-government institutions after proper home work, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran has said.
Inaugurating the party convention, a preparatory to the local body elections, here on Wednesday afternoon, the KPCC president said people of Kerala wanted the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in power and the thumping victory of the UDF candidate in the Aruvikkara by-election was a clear indicator of this.
Mr. Sudheeran said the Congress would never tie up with any communal party and it will select its candidates in the local body polls on the basis of their popular acceptance as well as winning chance.
Selection of candidates
The selection of candidates would be done by the ward committee concerned which would be solely responsible for the poll outcome too, he said.
Failure
The ward committees would be answerable to the higher committees, for the failure, if any, of its candidates, he added.
The KPCC president said there was no question of the party encouraging or entertaining rebels.
More opportunities would be given to new faces in the forthcoming local body elections, he said.
Repeating follies
Mr. Sudheeran alleged that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] had degenerated into a party frequently repeating its follies.
Mr. Sudheeran alleged that the CPI(M) was imitating the style of functioning of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Religious celebrations
Political parties taking part in religious celebrations would only increase social conflicts and clashes, he said.
Mr. Sudheeran alleged that the CPI(M) had been distancing itself from the common people and their problems.
He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would never get a place in Kerala soil and the dream of the BJP chief, Amit Shah, for a Congress-free Kerala would never be realised.
Addressing the meeting, Home Minister, Ramesh Chennithala said only the Congress would be able to check the growth of communal forces.
P. Mohanraj, District Congress Committee president, presided the meeting. P.J. Kurien, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman; AdoorPrakash, Revenue Minister; K. Sivadasan Nair, MLA; Anto Antony, MP; Pandalam Sudhakaran, UDF district convener; K. Jayavarma, Malethu Saraladevi, Abraham George Pachayil, Saratchandra Prasad, Saji Chacko, Anil Thomas, and Thykkoottathil Zakeer, all Congress leaders, also spoke.
