The Hindu : Karunakaran likely to meet Sonia today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Karunakaran likely to meet Sonia today

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 17. Efforts are being made to arrange a meeting between the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran, on Sunday.

With Ms. Gandhi slated to be out of town on Monday and Tuesday, the three office-bearers addressing the Kerala crisis are trying to arrange a meeting between the two on Sunday night soon after Mr. Karunakaran reaches the capital to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home.

Given the fact that the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, has time and again expressed his willingness to make any kind of compromise to keep the party united in the State, insiders are hopeful of bringing the curtains down on this round of infighting with a meeting between Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Karunakaran. However, for the record, the KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan, maintained that the problem would be solved only after Mr. Karunakaran and Mr. Antony discussed the matter.

In view of Mr. Karunakaran's visit to the capital on Sunday, the KPCC president has decided to extend his stay here by a couple of days in anticipation of a final outcome.

This morning, he met Pranab Mukherjee who heads the three-member sub-committee addressing the Kerala crisis and later, another member and AICC in-charge of the State, Ahmed Patel. The sub-committee was scheduled to meet later tonight.

At his meetings with Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Patel, the KPCC president reiterated the Karunakaran faction's demand for a leadership change and for an early decision.

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