The Hindu : Kerala News : No knowledge of group meet: Sivadasan

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Monday, May 24, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

No knowledge of group meet: Sivadasan

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, MAY 23. The Health Minister, Kadavoor Sivadasan, has said that he is not aware of any move to call a meeting of the `I' group in the Congress.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the State convention of the KSEB Engineers' Association here today, Mr. Sivadasan said that he had not been invited to the reported meeting of the group to be held at the residence of the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran.

Commenting on the results of the recently held elections to the Lok Sabha, Mr. Sivadasan said in a democracy, the people wielded more power than the leaders.

The mandate of the public had great importance, he said.

Mr Sivadasan said all leaders in the UDF should learn lessons from the verdict of the people.

The UDF leadership should sit together and analyse the reasons for the defeat of the front in the recent polls, he said.

Mr. Sivadasan opposed the opinion that the defeat of the former Power Minister, K. Muraleedharan, should be taken as a verdict against the State Government.

He said that anti-incumbency factor was the reason behind the defeat of Mr. Muraleedharan.

To questions on whether he would get the Power portfolio back, Mr. Sivadasan said that it was for the Chief Minister to decide.

Earlier, inaugurating a seminar on `Consumer Rights in Power Utilities in the Present Scenario' Mr Sivadasan said that the KSEB workers would have to ensure complete satisfaction of the consumers when the Power Act-2003 came into force.

He said the employees of the public sector companies should not organise strikes as the Government employees did.

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