The Hindu : Karunakaran unsure about new party

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 02, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Karunakaran unsure about new party

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 1. A day after the Congress high command worked out a patch-up formula to sort out the crisis in its Kerala unit, the veteran leader, K. Karunakaran, has said ``hotch-potch'' agreements will not work, but appeared undecided on his threat to execute a split in the party.

He was firm on his stand that only leadership change would solve the problem in the party's State unit. ``Hotch-potch is not going to work. If they think that the problem can be settled by accommodating K. Muraleedharan in the Cabinet, the issue is not going to be solved even if they take 10 Muralis in the Cabinet,'' Karunakaran said.

On his announcement of floating a new party, he said he would be there to help those prepared to take pains to come out with a fight.

``You have seen the response of over 3,000 delegates at last week's convention. They were not ordinary workers but party functionaries from booth level onwards. You can gauge their mood against the goings-on in the party and the Government under the present leadership,'' he said.

Asked whether Mr. Muraleedharan's decision to settle for a Cabinet berth had created divisions in the `I' group, he said several persons were pained that there was some sort of differences in the family to which they had all long been loyal.

Karunakaran, who recalled his decision to stand by the central leadership of Indira Gandhi, said he was extremely anguished that those who had ditched the party in 1978 were now trying to marginalise him.

``Despite my age, I am confident that if I get down to business, I could improve things. I had shaped the party in Kerala after the 1978 crisis. But then there was a strong central leadership. I am pained at the turn of things, but there is no other way than to bear all these for the time being,'' he said.

Asked whether he was expecting any positive decision from the AICC, Karunakaran replied ``had they ever bothered to solve the problems in Kerala?''

Mounting a scathing attack on the governance of Antony, he said ``the Chief Minister has not taken any decision. It's always discussions and setting up of sub-committees. Also, he has tendered apologies for his past mistakes.''

``What is happening to the finances of the State? Anyone can throw a party by borrowing money. But the moment the party is over, the lenders will catch you by the collar,'' he said, referring to the Antony Government's claim of having improved the State's fiscal position.

The Government had come to a standstill. ``The Chief Minister is the Government. Why should there be a Chief Minister who refuses to take any responsibility,'' he said, alluding to Mr. Antony washing his hands off the alleged corruption in the Education Ministry.

``The Chief Minister should be able to get his colleagues along. If he tries to make all people happy, the result is that no one will be happy,'' the veteran leader said.

He said the IUML leader, P.K. Kunhalikutty's statement yesterday that Antony's remarks on minorities was still a `live issue', was very significant. ``You know what happened in the Ernakulam bypoll. The IUML leadership made a last-minute appeal to vote for the UDF. But had the call any impact on the community?'' -- PTI

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