Bid to pacify Joseph, Jose K Mani; end KC(M) rift

Thiruvananthapuram: Though a leadership tussle has started in the Kerala Congress(M), attempts are being made to pacify acting chairman P.J. Joseph and vice-president Jose K. Mani and narrow down their difference on electing a successor to the late K.M. Mani.

"An ideal formula would be to make C. F. Thomas chairman, Jose K. Mani working chairman and P. J. Joseph parliamentary party leader. The next meeting of KC(M) will be held only after reaching an understanding on the party posts," a KC (M) source told DC.

Mr Jose will emerge stronger in the party once Mr Thomas Chazhikadan wins from Kottayam Lok Sabha seat. But Mr Joseph wants to prevent Mr Jose from wresting power in the party.

Mr Joseph told the media that Kollam district secretary Aadikad B. Manoj, who moved the court here to stop the appointment of party chairman on Wednesday, would lose his membership of the party. Though K. M. Mani's 41st day memorial falls only on Friday, Mr Joseph held the memorial meeting here on Wednesday. Initially, the UDF meeting was scheduled at Indira Bhavan on Wednesday, but it was advanced to Monday. But the KC (M) leadership did not change the date of the memorial meeting.

A KC(M) general secretary said that a coterie was misleading Mr Jose K. Mani, "who has not used his common sense to realise that a memorial meeting cannot announce its party chairman. Jose is jumping into false notions," he said.

The schedule of the KC (M) steering committee meeting will be decided only after the poll results are out on May 23.