Cheriyan Philip, Wahid, two others expelled

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, APRIL 27. The KPCC has expelled Mr. Cheriyan Philip, Mr. Baby M. Varghese, Mr. M.A. Wahid and Mr. K.P. Shoukath from the party, the KPCC president, Mr. Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, announced here on Friday.

The KPCC president said they had no place in the party as they were contesting the elections as rebels against the official candidates.

Mr. Cheriyan Philip, former chairman of the Kerala Deseeya Vedi, and Mr. Baby Varghese, who was the Kothamangalam block president of the party, are contesting from Puthupally and Kothamangalam constituencies respectively with LDF support. Mr. M.A. Wahid is contesting from Kazhakuttam and Mr. K.P. Shoukath from Kanjirappally as independents.

Mr. Pillai said if Mr. Cheriyan Philip had complaints against lack of representation for the youth in the party candidates list, the right place to raise them was the party fora. Instead, he had joined hands with the LDF which he had been opposing all the while.

Replying to questions, the KPCC president said he did not rule out the chances of factionalism in the party rearing its head again after the elections. However, any fresh issues would be settled as had been done before. Now everyone was working together to win the elections, he said.

The KPCC, he said, too had played a role in settling the issue though this was not being trumpeted. The failure to hold elections to the KPCC was not a reflection on the democratic credentials of the party. The Congress was more democratic than any other party, claimed the KPCC secretary, Mr. M.I. Shanawaz.

Mr. Pillai said the party had no intention of forging any understanding with the BJP and no talks had been held in this regard. However, the party would not say that it did not want the votes of BJP supporters. All votes were welcome, he said.

He complained that voters with even identity cards had been removed from the voters list as part of revision of the lists. The CPI(M) was resorting to such methods to win the elections as it was sure that it would not win in a straightforward manner. At several places, they were collecting identity cards to prevent voters from going to the booths.

He said the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, would campaign in the State on May 1, 2 and 5. The detailed programme had not yet been received. The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Digvijay Singh, and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Mr. Ajith Yogi, would also campaign in the State.

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