KOCHI: The Kerala Congress (Secular) (KCS) on Friday announced its decision to merge with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
According to KCS leaders, the NCP is a party that upholds secular values, while striving for overall development of the nation. "Those who killed Gandhiji have taken over the nation in a new garb. While the BJP is trying to divide the nation on the lines of religion, the Indian National Congress has been unable to rise above being mere spectators. We believe that only a strong secular party could contain the rise of BJP," said an official statement released by the KCS here. It pointed out that the party wholly trusted the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, and registered its strong support for the anti-communal and anti-corruption stance taken by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), of which the NCP is a constituent. NCP state president Uzhavoor Vijayan said the party had been growing slowly and steadily in the recent years, and that associating with the KCS would make it stronger. "Several parties which were once a part of us want to make a comeback to the LDF. We expect parties like the Janata Dal (United) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) to return to the LDF fold.
But, they might be reluctant to do so, because some of their leaders are currently MPs and MLAs," said Vijayan, adding that there would not be any 'merger conference.' On the controversy over BJP president Amit Shah and state leaders of the VHP wishing 'Vamana Jayanthi' on the eve of Onam, Vijayan said 'the NCP firmly stood for Mahabali and that the festival existed only because of Mahabali's greatness.'
KCS representatives said the merger came through after multi-tier discussions with the NCP leadership, and that the latter had agreed to absorb its leaders to the national, state and district committees as well as mass organisations.