Saturday, May 03, 2003
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By Our Special Correspondent
Letting them off with a hint of a "warning", the Congress high command has also decided to give these MLAs another chance to work for the unity of the party and fulfil the poll promises made to the people. As for the KPCC president, he has been asked to strengthen the party, rise above all factional pressures "no matter how strong they may be" and maintain unity "at all costs". However, the party's central leadership has made no secret of its displeasure. In an indictment of sorts of the rebels, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, in a statement, commended "all MLAs and Ministers who withstood political pressures and unseemly acts committed by irresponsible people'' to uphold the directives of the high command. The announcement was made here this afternoon by the AICC general secretary, Ambika Soni, who has since been relieved of her charge of Kerala in the organisational reshuffle effected today. Though Ms. Soni reportedly wanted Kerala taken off her portfolio, Congress sources linked this development to her handling of the crisis. Explaining the decision not to take disciplinary action against the "erring" MLAs and the senior leader, K. Karunakaran, whose objection to the official candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections triggered the crisis, Ms. Soni said all parties concerned had requested Ms. Gandhi to be lenient. While the MLAs who voted for the "rebel candidate", Kodoth Govindan Nair, "appealed to Ms. Gandhi to overlook their act as a one-time aberration never to be repeated" and Mr. Karunakaran asked her to be generous as at no stage had they sought to challenge her authority, the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, also advocated a lenient approach. His contention was that the high command had made its point by taking on Mr. Karunakaran and ensuring the victory of the official candidates. On whether Mr. Nair's expulsion from the party for six years would be reviewed, Ms. Soni was non-committal. She said she did not know whether he had appealed to Oscar Fernandes, general secretary in-charge of disciplinary action. Ms. Soni was sharp in her reaction to an observation that the party's decision was tantamount to "abject surrender" to Mr. Karunakaran for fear of a split within its Kerala unit. She said the party had not succumbed to pressure even before the Rajya Sabha elections when Mr. Karunakaran put up his own candidate.
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