THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Congres(M) is back in UDF fold after a gap of two years. The decision was taken after a meeting of UDF leaders at Cantonment house, the official residence of the leader of the opposition.
Former Chief Minister and AICC General secretary Oommen Chandy while speaking to media persons after the decision said that the coming back of Kerala Congress(M) will lead to the UDF gaining political
ground across the state. He added that it was a collective decision of the UDF to bring Kerala Congress back to its fold.
He also said that he was never instrumental in denying the Rajya Sabha seat to PJ Kurien as alleged and added that he had been actively campaigning for Kurien in all the elections he had fought since 1980. He said “when Kurien was contesting for the first time to RS, It was in fact the claim for the seat was for
Kerala Congress and that it was he who had helped Kurien to get the seat”. He added” In 2012 when Kurien wanted to contest, I had opined that a leader from Malabar should be given the seat and had suggested the name of NP Moideen but later Kurien was given the seat as he wanted it badly, and as Chief Minister I went along with the decision of the high-command and Kurien was given the seat”.
Oommen Chandy said that Kurien is raising such allegations as he does not have a clear idea of the reasons behind the decision of providing the RS seat to KC(M) and added that he will not complain against Kurien. He further said that if he wanted to complain it will be to AICC president and if Kurien asks the AICC president he will have a clear picture of what had transpired.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala stated that the RS seat was allocated to Kerala Congress for the larger interest of UDF and that it as a one time seat and the Kerala Congress will not make a claim for a second time for the seat. To a question on why the KPCC Political affairs committee was not taken into confidence when such an important political decision was being taken, Ramesh said: “In earlier days also when VM Sudheeran was KPCC president such important decisions were taken without consulting the political affairs committee or the KPCC executive”.He added,”Myself, Oommen Chandy and VM Sudheeran had taken five minutes to include RSP in the UDF and then allocate the sitting Kollam loksabha seat to RSP leader Premachandran”.
On another question that whether he wanted Kurien to be renominated and that it was Oommen Chandy who had scuttled the move he said: “PJ Kurien is a senior leader of the party and I had all the respect and love for him but this was a collective decision to strengthen the UDF”. He also added that PK Kunhalikuty had never exerted any pressure on him or other Congress leaders for the RS seat to Kerala Congress(M).