KALPETTA: Despite opposition from senior Congress leaders and renewed tensions over the Muthanga firing, Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party leader C K Janu is moving closer to joining the UDF. Janu said her discussions with Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan had been “positive” and expressed confidence that the party would formally join the UDF before the local body elections.
“Talks with the Congress leadership are progressing. We haven’t placed any demands. My discussion with Satheesan was fruitful, and we expect to join UDF by the October-end itself,” Janu told TNIE. A prominent tribal leader, Janu had recently lashed out at former chief minister A K Antony over the Muthanga firing, saying she would “never forgive him even after 400 years.”
However, she told TNIE that this was her personal stand and not the party’s position.
“The Muthanga firing was the darkest moment of my life. I can never forgive Antony for that. However, my personal opinion has nothing to do with party decisions. Our party’s aim is the welfare of our community,” she said.
Her return, however, is facing resistance within the UDF. At a meeting earlier this month, senior Congress leaders K Muraleedharan and Ramesh Chennithala warned the leadership against re-inducting JRP into the UDF.
They said the party had once been part of the UDF but later crossed over to the NDA. They argued that welcoming back a party that “deserted the front without reason” could set a bad precedent. Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party left the NDA in August, accusing the BJP-led front of neglecting tribal welfare.