The Hindu : Kerala News : Jacob, Balakrishna Pillai groups may be sidelined

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 03, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Jacob, Balakrishna Pillai groups may be sidelined

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 2. The United Democratic Front (UDF) Liaison Committee meeting today left the Balakrishna Pillai-T.M. Jacob issue hanging in the balance, without taking a decision on their status in the UDF.

The Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader, T.M. Jacob and the Kerala Congress (B) leader, R. Balakrishna Pillai, brought up the issue at the UDF meeting and both of them received the strong support of the veteran leader, K. Karunakaran. But the decisions taken at the meeting indicated that the two parties would soon be sidelined in the matter of sharing various offices such as the Devaswom Boards and slots in the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Reasons sought

Mr. Jacob sought to know the reasons for being dropped from the Chandy Cabinet. The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, explained that the two leaders had been dropped for their alleged role in the defeat of the Adoor and Muvattupuzha candidates respectively in the recent Lok Sabha elections. They had been dropped as per the directive of the party high command, he said.

Mr. Jacob termed the Congress action as `undemocratic' as the party leadership had not even sought an explanation from him on the basis of the complaint it had purportedly received from the Kerala Congress (M).

`Unjustifiable'

Mr. Karunakaran said that the decision to drop the two leaders could not be justified at any cost and that it was a violation of all precedents. The contention that the high command was responsible for the action against them could not be taken at its face value, as the precedent was to inform the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president about any such move and not the Chief Minister, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala