League seeks high command intervention

Veteran Congress leader K.Karunakaran yesterday reiterated that he was firm on his demand for a change of leadership in the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and all coalition partners were of the same opinion.

Speaking to newsmen here, he said he would go ahead with the "minimum programme of leadership change" and nothing short of it would be acceptable.

Karunakaran's statement came even as Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) General Secretary E. Ahmed, MP, met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and briefed her on the meeting of the UDF partners held in the state capital yesterday evening.

Ahmed sought immediate intervention of the Congress high command to solve the problems plaguing the state unit of the party. He said he told Sonia that the high command should not wait till the December Assembly elections in north India to solve the political uncertainty in Kerala, according to IUML sources here.

Yesterday's meeting of the leaders of the UDF ruled out the need for seeking a confidence vote for the A.K. Antony government.

The Iftar meeting held at the residence of Agriculture Minister K. R. Gowri Amma felt that a major initiative on the part of the high command was required to solve the current crisis facing the Congress and the UDF. Ahmed was asked to convey the coalition partners' feelings to Sonia.

Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan yesterday said in view of the UDF decision against seeking a confidence vote as planned by Antony and UDF Convenor Oomman Chandy the Chief Minister had lost the right to continue in power.

Achuthanandan said that the plan to seek a confidence vote was aimed at defeating the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) move for a special session of the Assembly to discuss removal of Vakkom Purushothaman as Speaker.

Oomman Chandy rebuffed Achuthanandan's claim that Antony had no right to continue as chief minister saying that what the UDF meeting did was to stand united and declare that the government had majority.

Meanwhile, Antony said in New Delhi that the CPI-M was trying to sabotage the Kerala government. He said no attempt to split the Congress would succeed.