Karunakaran rules out merger with Congress

Thiruvananthapuram: Democratic Indira Congress- Karunakaran (DIC-K) has no plans to merge with the Congress and it is not a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Stressing these points, DIC(K) leader K. Karunakaran said yesterday his party would be playing a key role in the government that comes to power, no matter who won the polls.

He told newspersons the DIC(K) had only an electoral tie-up for the Assembly elections in the state.

There was no agreement that the DIC(K) would merge with the Congress after the elections, he said and added that the claim of Congress leaders that such an agreement existed was 100 per cent baseless.

He also challenged the Congress leaders to produce any document if there was some such accord.

"The merger issue is not on our agenda now. It is a matter to be decided after ascertaining the views of party workers and the political situation prevailing at that time," he said.

Karunakaran claimed that the DIC(K) would emerge as "a decisive force" no matter which front came to power after the elections.

He said he was not fully happy with the seat-sharing arrangement with the UDF as his party got only 18 seats even though it had demanded more.

The DIC(K) had to be content with the 18 seats as the deadline for filing nominations approached fast. Asked whether he would share platforms with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in campaigning, Karunakaran said he was ready for that if the Congress agreed to it and prepared the campaign schedule accordingly.

When his attention was drawn to a statement of Congress party's state chief Ramesh Chennithala that Chandy would be the chief minister if the UDF returned to power, he said it was for the legislators to decide after the elections who should be the chief minister.

The views of the UDF constituents would also have to be taken into consideration to decide the matter, he added.

Meanwhile, reports said the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) leader and federal Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar would arrive here today for a two-day campaign in the state.

Pawar will address election rallies in Kottayam district's Pala constituency, where NCP's Mani C. Kappan has been fielded against Revenue Minister and Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani.