Cong defers action against rebels

With veteran leader K. Karunakaran mounting offensive against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, after his meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gand...

With veteran leader K. Karunakaran mounting offensive against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, after his meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the party leadership may take some action against the ‘‘I’’ group in a couple of days to retrieve the position of Chandy.

But the leadership is not in a hurry, as it will first assess the ground situation in context of the popular response to Karunakaran’s rallies. The participation of 13 MLAs in the Kochi rally, followed by the resignation of A.P. Anilkumar from the Cabinet, has complicated things further. Sources said the high command would be in a position to act after receiving inputs in the next two days.

‘‘Wait for two days,’’ Sonia’s political secretary Ahmed Patel said when asked this evening if any action would be taken against dissidents. He said, ‘‘The focus is on discipline now.’’ He said the Kochi rally was a sheer case of indiscipline. When pointed out that both Karunakaran and his son K. Muraleedharan had showered praises on Sonia and the Gandhi family, Patel said: ‘‘They have praised the high command but attacked the party’s government in the state.’’

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Party sources ruled out any action against Karunakaran. The 13 ‘‘I’’ group MLAs may be let off the hook too. This leaves Muraleedharan as the soft target, who may be singled out for stronger action this time round.

The sources also said the participation of the 13 MLAs at the rally indicated a possible patch-up. Former chief minister A.K. Antony had not only positioned himself in favour of a patch-up, but had also persuaded Sonia to take Karunakaran along. Antony, according to sources, was also behind Sonia’s meeting with Karunakaran. The MLAs, all of them owing their allegiance to Karunakaran, chose to side with him once they felt that a compromise was on the anvil.

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