The Hindu : `I' group rebel leaders blast Murali

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 29, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

`I' group rebel leaders blast Murali

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 28. Continuing their offensive against the Electricity Minister, K. Muraleedharan, the suspended KPCC general secretaries, Rajmohan Unnithan and T. Saratchandra Prasad, have asked the Minister to tender apologies for having indulged in dissident activity in the Ernakulam and Thiruvalla byelections.

Interacting with reporters in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, the two leaders said there was no question of their tendering any apology for their rebellion or the fast undertaken by Mr. Saratchandra Prasad at the KPCC headquarters as no apology had been sought from them by the party high command.

Mr. Rajmohan Unnithan said here today that the high command had only sought some time to address the issues raised by them and asked them to observe restraint and not to make any provocative statements.

No other condition was set forth by the high command as was being claimed by certain quarters, he said.

Mr. Muraleedharan, he said, should apologise to the party cadres for having indulged in anti-party activities in the Ernakulam Lok Sabha byelection and the Thiruvalla Assembly byelection now that he had admitted that his actions were on account of error of judgement. His claim that he had resorted to dissident activities in the Ernakulam Lok Sabha byelection only because of his quarrel with the party was understandable. But, he should then explain why he did the same in Thiruvalla where the UDF candidate belonged to the Kerala Congress(M), he said.

The former KPCC general secretary pointed out that contrary to what was being said about them, it was Mr. Muraleedharan who was indulging in provocative statements.

Neither the Chief Minister nor any of the other Ministers were indulging in such actions. The high command's attention has been drawn to this, he added.

Our Special Correspondent writes from Kochi: Mr. Prasad today demanded that Mr. Muraleedhran stop making allegations against him and Mr. Unnithan.

He said Mr. Muraleedharan had been badmouthing the two suspended KPCC general secretaries at his poll campaign meetings. He said the party high command would be informed of Mr. Muraleedharan's remarks.

He told The Hindu that the reports that he and Mr. Unnithan would tender an apology to the high command were not true. "These reports are being planted by our rivals to provoke us," Mr. Prasad said.

"We have petitioned the high command against the suspension and they have accepted the petition," he said. "We have faith in them," he added.

Action sought

The KPCC general secretary, N. Venugopal, today alleged that the two suspended KPCC general secretaries had again committed breach of discipline and stern action should be taken against them.

He told The Hindu that Mr. Saratchandra Prasad had committed "gross indiscipline by staging a sit-in dharna in front of the KPCC headquarters in Thiruvannathapuram. By his agitation for nearly two days, which was extensively covered by television channels, Mr. Prasad had marred the fair name of the party headquarters. This is an act of gross indiscipline," he said.

He noted that the KPCC acting president, P.P. Thankachan, had warned Mr. Prasad, after he suspended the latter, that going on a fast in front of the KPCC office would make the matters worse.

Mr.Rajmohan Unnithan, by his "indecent remarks" against the Electricity Minister, K. Muraleedharan, on television channels, also had also repeated acts of indiscipline, Mr. Venugopal said.

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