The Hindu : Kerala News : Karunakaran may have to wait

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Friday, Mar 07, 2008
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Kerala

Karunakaran may have to wait

K.P.M. Basheer

Mohsina Kidwai non-committal on party positions

Says Karunakaran is like a ‘father figure’
Leaves final decision to Sonia Gandhi

KOCHI: Several weeks after their return to the Congress party, K. Karunakaran and his supporters are still in a limbo. A decision on ‘accommodating’ the group was expected to be made during AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Mohsina Kidwai’s Kerala visit.

Ms. Kidwai, who met Mr. Karunakaran over lunch at the home of the latter’s daughter here, made no commitments on how the group would be accommodated. When reporters asked what positions would be offered to the group, Ms. Kidwai only said that a decision would be made by party president Sonia Gandhi.

She, however, said “We are there to help those who have returned to the Congress.” She also promised that “we will accommodate” all those who had returned to the party. Asked about the nature of the talks she had had with Mr. Karunakaran and what positions he had asked for, Ms. Kidwai said that they only had “preliminary discussions” and that the content of the talks could not be disclosed to the press. She said that Mr. Karunakaran was like a ‘father figure’ and that the party would heed his advice.

Though Mr. Karunakaran told media persons that he had not made any demands for party positions, he had reportedly handed over a list to Ms. Kidwai.

The list reportedly included five district Congress president positions, and seven KPCC positions. Mr. Karunakaran reportedly also sought for his supporters the same positions they had held before they left the party. The group also expects that Mr. Karunakaran would be made a member of the Congress Working Committee.

The State leadership, which had strong reservations about taking the Karunakaran group back into the party, had earlier offered two DCC president positions against Mr. Karunakaran’s demand of five. It is the tall demand of the group that has delayed the ‘accommodating’ process.

Mr. Karunakaran had come down to Kochi on Thursday especially to meet Ms. Kidwai, who was here to attend a Mahila Congress meeting. The outcome of today’s meeting is that Mr. Karunakaran will have to wait for some more time before getting a share of party positions. In view of the impending Lok Sabha elections and Mr. Karunakaran’s legendary capacity to ‘get the vote out,’ senior party sources feel he might get a fair share.

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