THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI state secretary Pannian Raveendran has refuted the claim of Kerala Congress (M) that Pannian had invited K M Mani into the LDF, offering Mani the chief ministership post.
He told mediapersons here on Saturday that nobody could invite Mani to the LDF fold. “The dream of the Kerala Congress and IUML to gain entry into the LDF will not materialise. UDF is a sinking ship. The IUML and Kerala Congress are trying to gain entry into the LDF from the UDF. However, LDF is a secular alliance and both the League and Kerala Congress will not have any space in such an alliance,” he said.
KC (M) had earlier levelled an allegation through a statement that it was Pannian who had spoken high of Mani and approached its leader with the offer of chief minister’s post and the same person had been engaged in a campaign against Mani for the last several days.
Pannian said he was responding to the KC(M)’s allegations as it was released officially. He pointed out that there was incongruity in the Kerala Congress stance. “They pointed out that I had stated that Mani was eligible for the CM’s post. But such an observation was made long time ago.
“Now Mani is under the cloud of suspicion and discredited himself,’’ he said. Questioning the KC(M)’s claim that the CPI was apprehensive of the fact that in the event of Kerala Congress joining the LDF, CPI would be pushed to the third place, Pannian said if this is the case, then what is the basis of the argument that he had approached Mani with the offer of chief ministership. Pannian said when a party makes such statement it should be based on facts.
Later in the evening, Pannian told ‘Express’ that it was the entire LDF decision that it didn’t want to invite IUML and KCM into the LDF fold. “We know Mani’s sorrow. But we don’t have medicine for it,’’ he said.
Referring to the League leadership’s remarks that CPI had no stature in the LDF to decide whether or not to induct a new party into the LDF, he said it showed their real intentions. “There is no master-slave relationship in the LDF. All constituents in the LDF have their place. We are working for a Left secular front ,’’ he said.
Asked about Pinarayi’s ‘derogatory’ remarks against CPI, he said he didn’t want to comment. But while speaking to ‘Express’, he said the party had taken a strategy to reciprocate in same coin.
‘’If CPM leadership makes comments through press conference, we also will convene press meet to respond to it,” he said.