Karunakaran withdraws deadline

The Congress has got a breather in Kerala, with senior party leader K. Karunakaran, who met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi tonight, withdrawing...

The Congress has got a breather in Kerala, with senior party leader K. Karunakaran, who met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi tonight, withdrawing his November 19 deadline for change of leadership in the state.

Holding Chief Minister A.K. Antony responsible for the party’s defeat in the recent Lok Sabha by-election in Ernakulam, Karunakaran’s faction had issued the deadline for Antony’s ouster. But tonight, Karunakaran said that there was ‘‘no timeframe for the change of leadership in the state.’’

Forest Minister hits back: Karunakaran told him to defeat Cong LS candidate

KANNUR: Kerala Forest Minister
K. Sudhakaran has come out with a startling revelation that Congress leader K. Karunakaran had asked him to defeat Mullappally Ramachandran in the last two polls from Kannur Lok Sabha constituency. Sudhakaran, who convened a press meet here on Monday to counter the allegations raised by ‘I’ group leaders about his moral and political life, said he had never worked for the defeat of Mullappally, and it was Karunakaran who asked him when he was Kannur District Committee president to campaign against Mullappally. ‘I’ group leaders had stated during a convention organised by them here that Sudhakaran had worked for the defeat of Mullappally in the polls. Mullappally had lost the last Lok Sabha election. Reacting to charges of moral turpitude levelled against him by ‘I’ group leaders, Sudhakaran said he should not be compelled to speak about the moral background of ‘I’ leaders from K. Muraleedharan and Padmaja Venugopal to Kannur district leaders A.D. Musthafa and K.C. Kadambooran. Mullappally Ramachandran, when contacted over the phone in Thiruvananthapuram, said he was not willing to react. (ENS)

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He, however, maintained that the leadership must be changed. ‘‘That demand stands and it is a must,’’ Karunakaran said, emerging from the 45-minute meeting with Sonia where the party’s in-charge of Kerala Ahmed Patel was also present.

Saying the issue of change of leadership was mentioned ‘‘several times’’ at the meeting, Karunakaran said he would divulge the details of the meeting at ‘‘an appropriate time’’. Senior party leaders said Karunakaran had been specifically told not to speak to the press about the details of the meeting.

This is the third time this year that Karunakaran has shelved his plans to ‘‘split the party’’ after discussions with the party high command. The first was in April soon after the Rajya Sabha polls when the party threatened to expel dissidents from his faction. The crisis blew over when the party high command decided to end the matter by issuing show-cause notices. The second was in July following Antony’s comments against minority communities. While this time around, the party high command is not sure how much of the Ernakulam defeat can be attributed to Karunakaran, the AICC is keen on taking ‘‘symbolic’’ action against his loyalists.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the designation gives law enforcement “enhanced powers to combat a group that has instilled fear through violence and intimidation”.

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