Deserters should quit posts ruling front

The first meeting of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala after the departure of the rebel group in the Congress led by K. Karunakaran, was held yesterday.

The meeting demanded all those who had left the coalition to give up the posts they had received while they were associated with the UDF.

The UDF meeting was also significant for the fact that it did not include the key founding fathers of the front including K. Karunakaran, who floated the National Congress Indira on May 1, R. Balakrishna Pillai of the Kerala Congress (B), T.M. Jacob of Kerala Congress (Jacob) and A.V. Thamarakshan of the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

UDF coalition convenor P.P. Thankachan said those who were holding posts of MLAs, corporation chairmen or other posts courtesy of their association with the UDF and who had now fallen out with the front, should resign those posts. "Political courtesy demands that they lay down those posts," Thankachan said.

Thankachan said those who had left the front had done so not because of any political reason, but because of their yearning for positions. He said the opposition Left Democratic Front was contradicting itself when it talked of discipline and at the same time was willing to receive those removed from the UDF for indiscipline.

On the issue of corruption allegations made by two Congress MLAs, M.P. Gangadharan and D. Sugathan against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Thankachan said there was yet to be any concrete allegation.

"Let them not say there was corruption of Rs50 million (Dh4.2 million) or Rs100 million (Dh8.4 million) or Rs1 billion (Dh84.7 million). Instead, let them say clearly what kind of corruption has taken place and produce proof of that. Then we can look into it," Thankachan said.

The meeting assessed that the departure of the Karunakaran faction, the Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Jacob) from the coalition had not affected the front.