THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what amounts to a veiled attack on the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) State president K. Muraleedharan has said that if anyone has given an assurance to the Congress high command that they would ensure the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate in the Thiruvambadi Assembly byelection, they should not try to do it at NCP's expense.

Replying to questions at a meet-the-press here on Tuesday, Mr. Muraleedharan said everybody knew how much strength the parties that attacked the NCP and opposed its entry into the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had. Leaders of some of the so called national parties were incapable of even holding their parties' national conference in Kerala and were making their presence felt through the visual media.

They should not dictate terms to the NCP, he said.

Mr. Muraleedharan said his party would decide who should campaign in Thiruvambadi and who should represent the party in the LDF State committee. "We have not surrendered the right to make such decisions to anyone," he said and added that the NCP did not also believe in betraying those who have placed their trust on it.

Mr. Muraleedharan said he would join the NCP's independent campaign at Thiruvambadi from Wednesday. K. Karunakaran would not join the campaign as doctors have advised him not to take such long journeys.

The NCP committees up to the constituency level would be constituted by December 15 and conventions held after Christmas, he said.

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