Move on to placate PJ Joseph

Kottayam: With Kerala Congress (M) working chairman P.J. Joseph sticking his neck out and raising the possibility of a split in the party demanding a second Lok Sabha seat, moves are afoot to pacify him. A section of party leaders feels that Mr Joseph should be given a seat even if the UDF rejects the demand for a second seat to the party.

The Congress party is unlikely to concede the KC(M) demand and the Joseph group will not hesitate to break the party if Mr Joseph is given no room to manoeuvre.

A split ahead of the elections will hit the party badly. It is certain that the talks to be held with the UDF on Tuesday will not be favourable to the KC(M). "To avoid a split, the party leadership should concede even the lone seat to Joseph," a state-level office-bearer of KC(M) told DC. Such a move will also help Mr Jose K. Mani dig in in the state politics as Mr Joseph will be away in New Delhi, it is said.

Mr Joseph had been demanding a Lok Sabha seat for his group in the wake of the move to anoint Mr Jose K. Mani as the heir apparent of Mr K.M. Mani, party chairman. The Kerala Yathra led by Mr Jose was taken out without consulting Mr Joseph.

The Mani group simply cannot wish away the threat posed by Mr Joseph as he himself has expressed his readiness to contest the Lok Sabha elections.