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D Jose and George Iype
Factional squabbles in the Congress in Kerala took a disastrous turn with the veteran party leader K Karunakaran quitting the Congress Working Committee in protest against the denial of a seat to his daughter Padmaja Venugopal for the forthcoming assembly elections.
Karunakaran, who is a permanent invitee to the working committee, resigned his post in protest against the neglect of his group, especially his daughter Padmaja Venugopal, in the selection of candidates for the forthcoming assembly polls in Kerala.
The senior Congress leader told newsmen in Trivandrum on Saturday that he would not withdraw the resignation under any grounds. Karunakaran had penned the resignation letter before he left Delhi on Friday after the six-day drama over the selection of candidates for the 88 seats allotted to his party by the Central Election Committee and given it to his aides for submitting to party president Sonia Gandhi.
After the party high command cleared the final Congress list on Friday, the Karunakaran faction complained that the Antony faction has been given undue advantage in the list. While Karunakaran's loyalists had to settle with 34 seats, the Antony group got 40.
Karunakaran said he would decide his future of course action in consultation with his supporters and added that his future strategy would not be discussed with the media.
He said his primary objective was to ensure that the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led United Democratic Front would not return to power and the UDF is not defeated in the election. "I would not quit the Congress. Goodwill towards the party is my weakness," Karunakaran said.
However, he pointed out that his future endeavour would be for the benefit of the state. "There should not be another chief minister worse than E K Nayanar," he added, obliquely referring to his bete noire A K Antony's claim for chief ministership.
Karunakaran gave sufficient indication that he would muster forces against Antony. He said Antony was one of his foes in the election and added that he cannot expect to emerge as the leader in the event of UDF getting majority. "The elected members would select the chief minister," Karunakaran said.
Holding Antony squarely responsible for the present crisis in the Party, he said, "He could have defused the situation if he had pressed for the party ticket to Padmaja. He has not done it despite an overwhelming demand from the people in her proposed constituency at Chalakkudy."
The senior Congress leader said his entire group was neglected in the candidates' election. "Most of the district Congress committee presidents supporting me have been given the ticket. They have done all these things under the pretext of norms. However, they have violated all norms in denying adequate representation to women and youths," he said.
Karunakaran said his supporters were angry with the developments and warned that he would not be responsible if they react against it in the election.
The senior Congress leader said the neglect he has suffered was the most painful experience he had in his 68 years of political career. "I was being neglected for the past five years. They have turned down all my proposals, including reorganisation of the Youth Congress," he added.
He said he had relinquished the CM's post in 1995 despite having a clear majority. "This was due to my love towards the party. I have stood with the party in its times of trial. Those who deserted the party when Indira Gandhi was jailed have been regarded. This is too much," he said.
Karunakaran's close loyalist and member of Parliament from Trivandrum V S Shivakumar told rediff.com that the group will chart its future course of action in a day or two. "Karunakaran is pained that the party high command has neglected his supporters in the state on the advice of the followers of A K Antony. How can there be unity in the party when the senior Congress leader from the state is shabbily treated," Shivakumar asked.
With the long-standing Karunakaran-Antony feud taking unexpected turns on the eve of the state elections, many in the party believe the Congress high command will soon have to press the panic button to face the elections united.
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