Kerala - Kollam   

More DIC(K) members returning to Congress

Staff Reporter

Protest against proposed merger with NCP

KOLLAM: More members of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) from the district who are opposed to the party's merger with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have decided to return to the Congress.

This was announced at a press conference here on Tuesday by DIC(K) leader D. Sugathan along with other leaders of the party.

Mr. Sugathan said that 2,500 DIC(K) activists from the district would attend the Congress solidarity gathering organised by the party in Thrissur on October 28. The members would formally return to the Congress at a function to be organised during the second week of November.

He said the person responsible for plight of the DIC(K) was none other than its president K. Muraleedharan. The veteran leader K. Karunakaran had no role in the policy matters or decisions of the party.

Mr. Sugathan alleged that Mr. Karunakaran was under pressure to accept the decisions taken by Mr. Muraleedharan. He said that as per the understanding reached with the United Democratic Front (UDF) prior to the Assembly elections, the DIC(K) was to have merged with the Congress after the elections.

It was on the basis of this understanding that the Congress gave 17 seats to the DIC(K) candidates for the Assembly elections. But after the elections, instead of meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Muraleedharan met NCP leader Sharad Pawar without consulting anyone in the party.

Prominent DIC(K) leaders in the district who have decided returning to the Congress are the district vice-president M. Anzar and Karuvallil Sasi, treasurer, N. Vijayan Pillai, general secretaries, R. Remanan and P. Noorudhin Kutty, State committee member V.Omanakuttan Pillai, member of the district panchayat committee Anil Narayanan and Kollam Corporation councillor Geethakrishnan.

Mr. Sugathan said that out of the 12 district committee office-bearers, six were joining the Congress. Similarly, seven office-bearers of the Youth Congress, five block committee presidents, five district-level office-bearers of the Mahila Congress, 79 district committee members, 38 mandalam committee presidents and leaders of other feeder organisations were also joining the Congress.

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