The Hindu : Kerala News : UDF in a fix over Mamata visit

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Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

UDF in a fix over Mamata visit

Girish Menon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The United Democratic Front leadership is pondering over the stand to be adopted when Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee arrives in the State on Thursday along with 60 Nandigram victims on what is obviously an anti-CPI (M) platform.

With the UDF and the Congress stepping up their campaign against the CPI(M) in recent weeks, differences have emerged among the coalition partners on whether they should be associating with Ms. Banerjee’s Kerala campaign, sponsored by a few farm organisations.

The Congress party cannot hobnob with the Trinamool Congress, as it is allied with the BJP-led NDA and pitted against the Congress in West Bengal. Yet, it wants to capitalise on Ms. Banerjee’s anti-CPI (M) persona that would add mileage to its current campaigns against the CPI(M). Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala said his party had not taken a decision on the issue. “We would hold consultations withthe party high command and senior party and UDF leaders of Kerala,” he said.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is reluctant to be a host, as it is wary of Ms. Banerjee’s connections with the NDA and her alliance with the BJP.

But local IUML leaders, are ready to accept the imperatives of the UDF’s anti-CPI(M) campaign mode. Senior leaders like Union Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed, who is also the party’s all-India general secretary, are wary of any kind of association because of her links to the BJP and the fallout of the IUML’s decision. “There is no question of participating in the Trinamool Congress campaign in the State,” Mr. Ahmed said when contacted over phone.

Capitalising on visit

According to a section of the UDF leaders, there was nothing wrong in capitalising on Ms. Banerjee’s visit, as she was being hosted by non-political organisations. “We can associate with her campaign on an apolitical platform,” a senior IUML leader said

The other partners such as the Communist Marxist Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party (M), Kerala Congress (M), and the Kerala Congress (B) would not mind picking up the Mamata thread to weave another angle to the UDF’s agitations against the CPI (M) at a time when it is going through a harrowing time after the Desabhimani bond controversy and inner party feuds.

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