The Hindu : Kerala News : JSS will protect UDF interests, says Gouri

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 06, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

JSS will protect UDF interests, says Gouri

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, MAY 5. The Agriculture Minister and Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samiti (JSS) leader, K.R. Gouri, has said that she would protect the interests of the United Democratic Front (UDF) so long as the JSS continues in the Front.

Speaking to presspersons here today, Ms. Gouri said that she would first resign from the Ministry before the JSS decided to work against the UDF. On the JSS' demand for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat, she said the party had since withdrawn its demand. (The JSS had taken a strong stand that the Alappuzha seat must be given to it in the backdrop of V.M. Sudheeran's stand that he was no more interested in electoral politics. Mr. Sudheeran, however, yielded to pressure from the Congress high command and is in the fray now.)

The Minister said the political situation at the national level demanded that the Congress became the largest single party in the Lok Sabha to prevent the BJP from coming to power. Realising this, the JSS withdrew its demand, she added.

She said that though the JSS proposed the name of the Swatantra Matsya Tozhilali Federation leader, Lal Koipparambil, as the candidate, he was not a member of the JSS. The plan of the JSS was to nominate him as an independent candidate of the UDF, she added.

Ms. Gouri said the decision of the Swatantra Matsya Tozhilali Federation to support the LDF in Alappuzha would not make any impact in the constituency. The JSS had sorted out its differences with the UDF candidate, V.M. Sudheeran, and would support him.

Answering questions on the Transport Minister and Kerala Congress(B) leader, R. Balakrishna Pillai's decision not to campaign for the UDF candidate in Adoor, Ms. Gouri said it should be taken as the obstinate attitude of an old man.

``It is natural for old men to take stubborn attitudes and I myself is prone to the defect,'' she said.

The Minister said the Congress-led alliance should come to power to protect the secular tradition of the country.

The secular polices and non-alignment foreign policy followed by the previous Congress Governments had raised the stature of the nation before the world, said added.

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