Monday, Apr 18, 2005
Monday, Apr 18, 2005 |
| Kerala | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Kerala
Girish Menon
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Block and booth-level Congress leaders and activists are in great demand now that the Congress party in Kerala is hurtling towards a vertical split. The official and Karunakaran factions are leaving no stone unturned to keep this grassroots segment within their respective fold. The official group has succeeded in persuading several State and district-level leaders to quit the Karunakaran camp which is gearing up for the split. It succeeded in lining up the senior leader K. Karunakaran's close confidantes in Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts at its Kochi rally. Several leaders in the southern districts have already moved over to the official camp. Efforts are now on to bring in several leaders in the remaining six districts (in the north) that will participate in the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee-sponsored northern region rally at Kozhikode on April 19.
Father-son duo confident
Despite the flow of district-level leaders out of his camp, Mr. Karunakaran and his son, K. Muraleedharan, appear to be confident because both believe that the grassroots workers are still in their camp. In fact, there is no two opinion in the Congress that the lower rung party apparatus is in the hands of Mr. Karunakaran. "This has been Mr. Karunakaran's strength in the party," admits a senior leader of the official camp. "But where will they be in the event of the split. Political wilderness?" he asks. Realising that it is difficult to take on the father-son duo unless their clout with the lower rung leadership is cracked, the official faction is spending a lot of time to woo this segment, particularly in areas where the `I' group is perceived to be strong. The unity formula has already been sold to the district-level leaders, but when it comes to the grassroots, this alone would not be sufficient.
Simple formula
The formula is simple. All those who shift camp will be given accommodation in the revamp that is to be soon undertaken by the high command irrespective of whether the organisational elections are held or not. They have been told that if the split takes place, status quo will be maintained in the party hierarchy. Besides, their claims for contesting the local bodies elections will be recognised. The official group has a difficult task before it, considering the fact that the rank and file is already divided vertically owing to the decade-old factional fight and the loyalties are clearly demarcated.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2005, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
