The Hindu : Kerala News : NC(I) plan to force bypoll in Cherthala

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Friday, Jun 10, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

NC(I) plan to force bypoll in Cherthala

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: National Congress (Indira) leader K. Karunakaran has said that his party will prepare an action plan in association with his MLAs to ensure that byelection is held in Cherthala Assembly seat that was vacated by former Chief Minister A. K. Antony.

Inaugurating the NC (I)'s membership drive here on Thursday, Mr. Karunakaran said that conducting the byelection in Cherthala was a democratic necessity and his party's executive committee meeting on June 11 would give shape to a programme to ensure that the bypoll materialised.

Mr. Karunakaran, however, did not mention how he proposed to achieve his objective. He said that he had returned the resignation letters submitted to him by the MLAs supporting him as he felt it was inappropriate for him to take further action on it.

Mr. Karunakaran did not spare the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. He said the Congress president would soon realise his standing irrespective of whether he was in the Congress or outside.

Referring to the Congress party's dismal show in Uttar Pradesh, he said Mrs. Gandhi was living in a fool's paradise if she thought that the future of the country was safe in her hands.

Inaugurating the district convention, National Congress president K. Muraleedharan came down heavily on the advisors of Mrs. Gandhi. He said that aides such as Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel had once been bitter opponents of Indira Gandhi. Today, they were at the helm of affairs, but there was hardly anyone to give the Congress president proper political inputs, he said.

He said that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Mr. Antony had set their own unique record.

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