THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: RSP central committee meeting held here for the last two days has decided to ask the state committee to correct its decision to move to the United Democratic Front camp.
Briefing the central committee meeting’s decisions, party general secretary T J Chandrachoodan said that the state committee had intimated the central committee that as it had to occupy the moral high ground the party could not now sever ties with the UDF.
In view of this, the status quo will be maintained till the party congress to be held in Kolkata in April.
However, he said the party’s stand in the central committee was that the party should not be split in the name of ties with the Congress. He said the developments should not have happened in the party and is to be seen as an aberration in the party’s established policy.
He said that there had been only a ‘contract’ with the UDF to abide by the whip being issued by the Congress party in the event of the RSP candidate winning the seat in the Lok Sabha election. With the merger of Shibu Baby John-led faction, RSP has become a coalition partner of the UDF.
Chandrachoodan said that the alliance with the UDF was not part of any pre-conceived plan. ‘’The RSP’s initial decision was to contest the Lok Sabha election on its own. But when Chief Minister Oommen Chandy offered support we accepted it” he said.
He said that the party had been going through one of its toughest phases in the last few months. RSP was earlier prepared to contest the Lok Sabha elections under the LDF from any seat except in Malappuram district. Two CPM central committee members had assured that RSP will be allotted the Pathanamthitta seat. However, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leader A B Bardhan asked the RSP to resolve the issue at the state level.
Chandrachoodan said that the RSP would not be making any claim for further representation in UDF or more powers to Shibu Baby John in the cabinet.