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Viswanatha Menon in the fray

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI SEPT. 2 . The former CPI(M) Minister and former MP from the Ernakulam constituency, V. Viswanatha Menon, will contest the Ernakulam Lok Sabha by-election, with the support of the `rebel CPI(M)'.

Mr. Menon's candidature was announced by the expelled CPI(M) leader and CITU union functionary, V.B. Cherian, at a news conference here today.

Mr. Cherian said Mr. Menon had authorised him to announce his candidature. The presidium of the BTR-EMS-AKG Janakeeya Saamskaarika Vedi (which is considered the nerve centre of rebel CPI(M) activists) had decided to support Mr. Viswanatha Menon.

Mr. Cherian claimed that the Vedi, by supporting Mr. Menon, was adopting the same stand the CPI(M) had taken in 1989 while backing V.P. Singh to be Prime Minister. He recalled that Mr. Singh was, at that time, supported by the BJP, too. Mr. Cherian said Ernakulam had long been an industrial workers' constituency and claimed that all the trade unions would support Mr. Menon as he had been the FACT union president for 12 years, Indal union president for 14 years and had also been the leader of a Cochin Port union.

Mr. Menon had won the Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat in the 1967 election. Later, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha for two terms. In the 1991 Lok Sabha election, the LDF fielded him again from Ernakulam. However, he was defeated by the UDF's K.V. Thomas.

Mr. Menon, who won the 1987 Assembly election from Thripunithura, was the Finance Minister in the LDF Government headed by E.K. Nayanar.

Vadakkoot Viswanatha Menon, known among friends as Ambadi Viswam, was a firebrand political activist in his youth. He was also one of the accused in the Communist attack on the Edappally police station.

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