TRIVANDRUM, 20 March 2005 — In a show of strength to counter dissident Congress leader K. Karunakaran, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday addressed a rally in Kottayam at which he reiterated the need to enforce discipline in the party.
“No leader or group is above the party. Without the party, there is no leader or group,” Chandy said addressing the rally even as Karunakaran in New Delhi ruled out a split in the party. The rally, officially named as Dandi Remembrance Yatra, was hurriedly called after Karunakaran held two rallies in Trivandrum and Calicut, challenging Chandy’s authority.
The leaders who spoke at the rally refrained from using harsh words against the rivals unlike Karunakaran’s Trivandrum rally, which was also to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s famous salt march defying the British 75 years ago.
Several leaders, including state unit president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, Water Resources Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and state party General Secretary Kodikkunnil Suresh, addressed the rally.
Congress Working Committee member A.K. Antony, whom Chandy replaced as chief minister some six months ago, kept away though the organizers had claimed that he would come and address the rally. The two are reportedly at odds over the disciplinary action taken against Karunakaran loyalists who took part in the rebel rallies.
Party chief Sonia Gandhi suspended Karunakaran’s son and former state unit chief K. Muralidharan, an All India Congress Committee member, for six years after he refused to call off the rallies.
In New Delhi, Karunakaran called on Sonia, who has been refusing him an audience, and claimed they hit it off. He said the rally he called in Cochin on Monday will go ahead.
Karunakaran, who also met Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Human Resources Minister Arjun Singh and other top leaders, said he had got an assurance that dates for the organizational elections, which was his main demand, would be announced within two days. He was silent on the suspension of his son. He would not be able to participate in the next month’s elections if the suspension was not revoked. Muralidharan is also going ahead with the formation of parallel panels at all levels.
Muralidharan continued his diatribe against Chandy saying liquor barons sponsored his rally in return for a free hand for them. Responding to that allegation, Chandy said the rally was called by the district leadership on its own.
