THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress leadership is pleased with the IUML’s decision to turn down CPM’s invitation to attend its seminar on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The UDF meeting on Monday will take a call on seminars on the proposed legislation being held by the Congress this month in three regions and protests against the ruling front.
The Congress state leadership was confident of IUML declining CPM’s invitation to the seminar scheduled for Saturday. It also relied on pressure tactics. But differences of opinion among a section of IUML leaders raised apprehensions. But following the IUML meeting on Sunday, the decision to turn down CPM’s invitation came as a huge morale boost for the Congress. This comes at a time CPM state secretary M V Govindan had been reiterating that the Congress lacks clarity on the UCC issue.
UDF convenor M M Hassan told TNIE that the ploy of the CPM was to rope in at least the Samastha leadership. “How can the IUML attend a seminar being held by the CPM when they are a part of the UDF? With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan calling the Samastha leadership personally, they were left with no option but to toe the line,” said Hassan. Congress state president K Sudhakaran welcomed the IUML’s decision as “appropriate”.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan took a jibe at the CPM, saying it was foolish of the party to think that the IUML will readily accept their invitation to attend the seminar. “UDF will counter the communal appeasement policy being practised by the CPM for the last seven years,” said Satheesan.