K M Mani stays unmoved

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress leaders have been trying to humour Kerala Congress (M) chairman K.M. Mani who is set to take some tough decisions at the party’s meeting to be held at Charalkunnu on August 6 and 7. It is reported that the party may decide to sit as a separate block in the Assembly posing a threat to the UDF’s unity.

Senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran,  have rallied behind Mr  Mani saying he is an integral part of the UDF. After a meeting with Mr Chandy on Saturday, Mr Mani said there were  issues with the Congress. His grouse was against Mr Ramesh Chennithala being appointed as the UDF chairman without the consensus of all the allies. Mr Mani also said the current imbroglio would be discussed  at the  Charalkunnu meeting.

On Sunday, Mr Sudheeran expressed the hope that Mr Mani would not leave the UDF.  “There is no problem in the UDF which cannot be solved,” he said. “Mani is an integral part of the UDF. He is a senior leader of the front. As far as UDF is concerned, there is no issue which cannot be solved through discussions.  There is nothing unusual in Oommen Chandy meeting Mani,”  said  Mr Sudheeran.

Congress MLA K. Muraleedharan  had opined earlier that the KPCC leadership should intervene in the issue. But  Mr Chennithala is unlikely to yield to the  pressures being exerted by Mr Mani, sources said. “If Mr Mani wants to ditch the front, let him do it,” according to Mr Chennithala. “Mani may decide on his MLAs sitting as a separate block to pressurise  the Congress. There is no way but to accept Chennithala’s leadership,”  said a prominent Congress leader.

Decision at party meeting, says Mani

Kerala Congress chairman K.M. Mani continues to keep the Congress leaders on tenterhooks on his next move as he said that the two-day meeting of the party scheduled to be held at Charalkunnu will take a decision on the future course of action of the party. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the MLAs of the Kerala Congress in Kottayam on Sunday he said the meeting at Charalkunnu will take a decision. He also claimed complete unanimity of opinion in the party.      

Earlier KC (M) general secretary Joy Abraham, one of the close confidants of Mr. Mani asserted that leaving the Congress-led United Democratic Front was an option. Abraham said the two-day meeting scheduled to be held at Charalkunnu on August 6 and 7 will discuss the matter which figured in the two recent steering committee meetings.

“The party will take a decision unitedly,” he said, adding traitors had already left, and the party is now completely united. Mr Mani held a meeting of party MLAs on Sunday amidst speculation that he would opt to sit in the assembly as a separate bloc to express resentment with the Congress. The meeting of legislators was to gauge their views ahead of the two-Charalkunnu camp.