The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : `Talks will be held between Murali and Pinarayi'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 10, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

`Talks will be held between Murali and Pinarayi'

Special Correspondent

Karunakaran says DIC(K) has already proved its political relevance

RALLYING CRY: DIC(K) leader K. Karunakaran and party president K. Muraleedharan at the concluding public meeting of the 47-day State-wide Nava Kerala Yatra in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. - Photo: S.Mahinsha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) leader K. Karunakaran on Monday announced that his party would discuss with the CPI(M), the major party in the Opposition coalition, on its entry into the LDF. He said the discussions would be between DIC (K) president K. Muraleedharan and CPI (M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

Addressing a public meeting marking the conclusion of Mr. Muraleedharan's 47-day padayatra, Mr. Karunakaran said there was only one party, the CPI (M), and one leader, Mr. Vijayan, that his party proposed to hold talks on the question of its alliance with the LDF. On the DIC (K)'s side, Mr. Muraleedharan would lead the talks, he said.

Mr. Karunakaran also took a confrontationist position vis-a-vis the CPI and the RSP, both coalition partners opposed to his party's entry into the LDF. He said the DIC (K) had already proved its political relevance in Kerala, besides establishing its State-wide presence. However, he refused to divulge the details of the proposed structure of the alliance within the Left coalition. "We are ready to have ties with any force, except communal outfits," he said.

In his address, Mr. Muraleedharan said his party was not in a hurry to gain entry into the LDF. Its position was to strengthen the Left, secular and democratic forces and it had performed its task well. He said there was no question of going back to the Congress because of fundamental differences. The DIC (K) was born in protest against the lack of inner party democracy in the Congress. The `nomination raj' had found even `sweepers' being accommodated in key positions, he remarked.

Both Mr. Karunakaran and Mr. Muraleedharan did not spare the UDF Government, making personal attacks against the Chief Minister. Both of them referred to corruption in the Chandy Government. Mr. Muraleedharan questioned the rationale of inducting a Minister with just 65 days of effective rule possible.

"This was to ensure distribution of revenue land in the Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) to friends and relatives of the Revenue Minister," he said.

Surprisingly, Mr. Muraleedharan launched attacks against the IUML and the Kerala Congress (M) leaders, something which he had so far refrained from doing so.

The ice-cream parlour case had gained as much notoriety as the Best Bakery case for Government interference. The case had changed course following the intervention of the Government counsel in favour of the accused.

The DIC (K) workers took out a rally in the city before the public meeting.

A conscious attempt was made to play up the traditional Congress image, with the main participants in the padayatra, sporting Gandhi caps.

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