Karunakaran cannot be ignored - Pillai

Kerala Transport Minister R. Balakrisha Pillai yesterday came out in the open expressing his resentment over the raging group war in the Congress and pleading for a due role for veteran leader K. Karunakaran.

He said the United Democratic Front (UDF) could not go on ignoring a senior leader like Karunakaran. Pillai pointed out that if the Congress, which led the UDF, split, it would reflect on the prospects of all its constituent parties.

Referring to the possibility of an alternative government, he said an appropriate decision would be taken on time.

"There are no permanent friends or foes in politics. Decision on the future of a party is based on whatever is good for it," he added.

Pillai said he had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi on two occasions and sought action from her to solve the lingering crisis in the party.

"The internal problems of the Congress had now become the problems of the UDF as a whole. That was why constituent parties like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had taken the initiative to mediate for a patch-up of the rival factions in the Congress", he noted.

Industries Minister P.K. Kunjhalikutty, who along with E. Ahmed, another IUML leader, met Karunakaran on Friday for talks aimed at ending the crisis in the Congress, yesterrday said that the demand for a change in the leadership of the UDF Government was an "internal matter of the Congress."

However, the issues in the UDF that cropped up following the demand had to be settled as early as possible through collective discussions.

He said the IUML took the initiative for talks as it was an issue affecting the whole UDF.

Meanwhile, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) State Secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said in the State capital that his party would under no circumstances support an alternate government if it included the IUML.

He was referring to reports that the Karunakaran faction in the Congress was moving closer to the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) to form an alternative government.