Crucial Karunakaran faction meeting today

By K. Venkiteswaran

KOCHI, AUG. 25. Much political developments are expected at a meeting of "young workers" of the Congress(I) owing allegiance to the senior leader, Mr. K. Karunakaran, here on Saturday. Political circles and those close to the `leader' said Mr. Karunakaran would be attending the meet scheduled at a hotel on the National Highway Bypass.

Political rumour mill had a field day here today as a number of stories, according to one's predilections, were floated. The stories ranged from Mr. Karunakaran deciding to join the National Democratic Alliance and becoming a Union Minister and to one where he would sup with Mr. Sharad Pawar of the National Congress Party and eventually join the Left Democratic Front in the State to lead the front.

The Antony faction is waiting with bated breath for the developments even as close followers of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. A.K. Antony, are hoping to reap the maximum political mileage out of the current scenario where Mr Karunakaran is reported to be no longer in the good books of the party high command. The `anti-Karunkaran' forces are now in a mood to concede whatever demands for tickets in the imminent local bodies polls from the rank and file of the party owing allegiance to Mr Karunakaran. This is a `double-edged strategy' to isolate Mr Karunakaran and Mr Muraleedharan and to mobilise support for the faction led by Mr. Antony. Some of the Antony faction leaders in Ernakulam district are already in touch with the close followers of Mr. Karunakaran and are sending out feelers, it is said.

There are apprehensions among the leaders whether the people who had all along been supporting Mr. Karunakaran would stick to him now that the political equations are said to be changing in New Delhi with some of the younger elements calling the shots in the high command as far as Kerala matters are concerned. Ten party MLAs and six DCC(I) presidents are said to be in the Karunakaran camp, but it is a moot point whether the district leaders would be able to withstand the pressure from the rank and file and the regional leaders and still able to throw their lot with the senior leader. The expediency of the local bodies poll where thousands of aspirants could enjoy the fishes and loaves of office once elected, had upset the calculations and the district leaders would be more guided by the ground realities rather than their long years of loyalty to the leader, political pundits predict.

Anyhow Saturday's meeting of Karunakaran supporters has become `crucial' when a number of decisions are expected. One possibility is the announcement of a new Youth Congress(I) committee and the name of a student leader from Malappuram district, Mr. A.P. Anil Kumar, is already being touted as the possible president. There is also the usual cliches regarding the "neglect of youth" and the "compromises being made by the Karunakaran group" to accommodate the wishes of the rival factions in the party. Whatever it may be, political analysts are thinking that the Kochi meeting would be an event to watch as far as what course of action the Karunakaran faction would be taking politically as a natural culmination of decades of "group rivalry" in the State unit of the party.

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