ALAPPUZHA: The Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) (DIC-K) Alappuzha district president M.J. Job has said the party district unit is solidly behind party leader K. Karunkararan and president K. Muraleedharan and the resignation of former Ambalappuzha MLA D. Sugathan from the party will not have any impact.

At a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. Job said Mr. Sugathan approached the Congress leadership during the last Assembly election and requested them to provide the hand symbol for him.

He said Mr. Sugathan and Ms. Shobhana George showed willingness to go back to the Congress before the last election. He said in a letter he had asked the party leadership not to make both of them party candidates.

But the party State leaderships made both candidates because of the sole consideration that they had resigned as MLAs. Mr. Job said the only fault committed by the DIC(K) was giving Assembly seats to leaders like Mr. Sugathan and Ms. Shobhana George who did not command any public support. Mr. Job said the party's lower level committees too declared their support to any decision taken by Mr. Karunakaran.

Meanwhile, Kuttanad MLA Thomas Chandy in a fax message sent to newspaper offices here on Thursday said he was standing by the leadership of K. Karunakaran. He said he approved the discussions being undertaken by Mr. Muraleedharan with the Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and would support the decision of the DIC(K) regarding merger.

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