Chandy rules out carrot for rivals

Chandy was in Delhi to confer with party president Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel after Muraleedharan upped the ante by raising a demanded for organisational polls and immediate appointments to fill vacancies in boards and corporations. Sources said the high command has asked for a report from state Congress president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai after hearing Chandy.

Chandy told reporters he was against the nomination of any party leader who had lost the last election to a government post. ‘‘There are so many leaders in the party. Those who have got one opportunity should give others a chance.’’

The statement rules out the main claimants for the posts —— Muraleedharan, his sister Padmaja Venugopal and former MLA V. Balaram. Padmaja and Balram both lost during Lok Sabha polls and Muraleedharan lost an assembly by-election from Vadakkancherry. On Karunakaran’s criticism of tsunami relief efforts, Chandy said even the opposition had not levelled such charges.’’