The Hindu : Front Page : NCP, DIC(K) to go ahead with merger plan

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Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006
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NCP, DIC(K) to go ahead with merger plan

Staff Reporter

Pawar, Karunakaran hold discussions in Kozhikode

Kozhikode: Ignoring rebellion within the party, the leadership of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) has decided to go ahead with the proposal to merge with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This follows the high-level talks between NCP chief and Union Minister for Food and Agriculture Sharad Pawar and the senior DIC (K) leader K. Karunakaran here on Tuesday.

The hour-long meeting between the leaders took place at the residence of DIC(K) president K. Muraleedharan at Bilathikulam here late Tuesday evening. Mr. Pawar met Mr. Karunakaran after he wrapped up his three-day whirlwind tour of Kerala to assess an agrarian crisis in the State. The talks were held in two phases. Mr. Karunakaran and Mr. Pawar held a one-to-one meeting at first and then DIC(K) leaders Mr. Muraleedharan and M.P. Gangadharan held talks with NCP leaders Cyriac John, T.P. Peethambaran and A.C. Shanmughadas in the presence of Mr. Pawar and Mr. Karunakaran.

The meeting, originally scheduled at 7.30 p.m., took place around 10 p.m.

The NCP executive committee in Kochi on September 8 had endorsed the proposal. Mr. Cyriac John and Mr. Shanmughadas, Mr. Muraleedharan and the other Parliamentary Board members of the DIC (K) were present on the occasion.

As decided earlier, the executive committees of both the parties will meet and ratify the proposed merger. Mr. Muraleedharan will be a special invitee to the national conference of the NCP at Dehradun on September 16 and 17. The merger of the DIC (K) with the NCP is likely to take place in Kochi on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanthi). Mr. Pawar is likely to visit the State again. A major topic that was discussed between the leaders was suitably accommodating the DIC (K) leaders in the unified NCP and its future course of action.

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