The Hindu : New Delhi News : Karunakaran meets Sonia

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Karunakaran meets Sonia

Special Correspondent

Reiterates need to maintain UDF unity

K. Karunakaran says shrill positions will only precipitate matters.

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran on Monday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have discussed the recent strain in the party’s relationship with its key ally in Kerala, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

Being one among the architects of the Congress-IUML alliance in 1970, Mr. Karunakaran had already gone on record last week stating that everything should be done to keep this 38-year-old relationship going. Soon after his meeting with the Congress president, Mr. Karunakaran called on IUML general secretary E. Ahamed at his residence.

In an informal interaction with mediapersons ahead of leaving for Kerala, the former Chief Minister said the problems between the Congress and the IUML should be sorted out. He was of the view that this would be possible only through compromise, and that taking shrill positions would only precipitate matters.

Talking about the alliance — created after considerable effort as the Malappuram District Congress was against it — Mr. Karunakaran said divisions within the United Democratic Front (UDF) would neither help the Congress nor Kerala.

As to why he had not stepped in to iron out the rough spots if he felt so strongly about the need to save the Congress-IUML alliance, Mr. Karunakaran said he did not think it was right to intervene when the party high command had sent Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi for the purpose.

He also held discussions with Ms. Gandhi and earlier with general secretary Rahul Gandhi and party in-charge of Kerala Mohsina Kidwai.

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