I won't tolerate it: Karunakaran

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, APRIL 14. The senior Congress leader, Mr. K. Karunakaran, who is engaged in a war of words with the party leadership over the Assembly seat allocation issue, today gave enough hints to indicate that the arrival of the two AICC emissaries, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mr. Motilal Vohra, and the discussions they had here have made only limited contributions to resolving the impasse in the State unit of the party.

Talking to reporters at Guruvayur and Thrissur after his customary visit to the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple on Vishu Day, Mr. Karunakaran made it clear that the solution reportedly evolved by the two AICC representatives will have a lasting impact only if there is a change in attitude towards his supporters.

``What is important is not the allocation of seats to my supporters. I have not asked anyone for any seats to Ms. Padmaja or others. What is important is the approach to my supporters. The approach to them must change,'' he said.

``Attempts to wound my supporters will pain me more than inflicting injuries on me personally. Nobody should think that my supporters can be cleverly pushed down at this juncture. I will not permit that to happen,'' he asserted.

Replying to the question whether the proposals mooted by the AICC representatives will bring in a lasting solution to the infighting in the Congress, Mr. Karunakaran said, ``The real issue is the neglect of my supporters in the party, and this has been happening for quite some time. Unless that approach changes, the solutions could only bring in temporary respite to the crisis.''

Mr. Karunakaran, however, feigned ignorance of the nature of formula evolved by the AICC representatives to resolve the impasse. ``It is for them to resolve the issue. I have not proposed any new formula. I have already said what I have got to say, and now it is all in their hands.''

Mr. Karunakaran also refused to comment on the possibility of the party high command reviewing the candidate list that had already been released. ``Why should I take pains to find out whether the water in Yamuna river has receded?'' he added.

Asked whether he was happy with the discussions he had with the emissaries of the high command, he said, ``I have not had any discussion with the high command yet on the issue.''

So wouldn't you consider Mr. Azad and Mr. Vohra as part of the high command, he was asked. ``Mr. Azad is the AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala party affairs and Mr. Vohra is the AICC treasurer as well as a personal friend of mine. Mr. Vohra had come to me to discuss the party's strategy in other States which are going to the polls along with Kerala.''

Asked whether the ongoing infighting in the Congress would affect the UDF prospects in the coming elections, Mr. Karunakaran's response was cryptic. First he said, ``We are all united by one knot to end the LDF rule,'' and after a pause he said, ``No, we are all united, and I don't know whether there is any knot that binds us.''

Mr. Karunakaran also ruled out the possibility of the `I' group fielding any rebels in the coming elections. His response was evasive even when his attention was drawn to the reports that some of the `I' group- controlled DCCs have decided to field rebels.

``I have come to Guruvayur to offer prayers to Guruvayurappan,'' and chanted a verse from Poonthanam's composition ``Gurpavana Pure Hantha Bhagyam Jananam''.

Asked whether he would go by the high command decision, Mr. Karunakaran said, ``There is no high command. The supreme command is God. And I have come to Guruvayur to offer prayers to the God.''

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