KOTTAYAM/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pala MLA and Nationalist Congress Kerala (NCK) leader Mani C Kappan on Friday alleged that he was being neglected by the UDF leadership. Responding promptly to Kappan’s public expression of grievances, the UDF leadership decided to hold talks with him on April 4.
At Pala, Kappan told reporters, “I am neither informed of the programmes of the coalition nor invited to its platforms. I was in the dark when a UDF delegation arrived at Madappally to lead the SilverLine protest. They could have intimated me on their visit at Madappally through a phone call. I was unaware of several other programmes including protests related to Muttil tree felling. I was also not intimated when the UDF team met the governor recently,” Kappan said.
Kappan was part of the LDF constituent NCP, but, quit the party to form NCK when the LDF denied Pala assembly seat to NCP. In a tightly fought electoral battle, he defeated KC(M) chairman Jose K Mani on his home turf. UDF convener M M Hassan told TNIE that he spoke to Kappan and initiated damage control exercises. “On Monday, V D Satheesan and I will hold a discussion with Kappan. We have promised to discuss all his grievances against the UDF,” said Hassan.
Kappan’s outburst followed the neglect by leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, who is also the chairman of the UDF, to his complaints. Though Kappan praised the performance of KPCC president K Sudhakaran and V D Satheesan, he said there was a failure in the coordination of coalition activities. In Thiruvananthapuram, Satheesan expressed displeasure over Kappan levelling the allegations in public. He said Kappan should have raised such issues on UDF platforms instead of sharing his concerns to the media.
Kappan’s open comment against the coalition leadership assumes importance in the backdrop of speculations over his switchover to the Left front. Two weeks ago, Kappan had met NCP leader Sharad Pawar, which had triggered rumours that NCK was moving back to its parent organisation and thereby entering the LDF. However, both NCP Kerala leadership and Kappan had dismissed such reports then. NCP’s minister A K Saseendran said on Thursday that the LDF didn’t want anyone from the UDF for the time being.
“The LDF is not weak to woo anyone from the UDF. Moreover, there wasn’t any indication of Kappan’s move for a political change,” he said. Dismissing any difference of opinion in the UDF, Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph said the issues raised by Kappan will be addressed through talks. “The UDF leaders have already made it clear. At the same time, Kerala Congress doesn’t have any complaints over the functioning of the UDF leadership,” Joseph told reporters at Thodupuzha.