Southern States - Kerala   

`Antony Govt. performing well'

By Our Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram JUNE 10. The AICC general secretary, Ahmed Patel, today reaffirmed the high command's faith in the leadership of the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, besides categorically stating that none of the factions in the State Congress had demanded a leadership change.

Addressing a meet-the-press programme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club, Mr. Patel said the Antony Government was performing very well, especially on the economic front, with considerable improvement in the State's financial position. On issues like Marad, he said the Government had succeeded in containing the situation.

Asked about the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran's position, Mr. Patel said he was confident that Mr. Karunakaran would not be reckless to bring harm to the Congress. ``Mr. Karunakaran is the senior-most Congress leader, with maximum equity stakes and investment in the party. There is no question of ignoring him and he is being consulted on major issues,'' he said.

Asked if it was correct for two Ministers belonging to the Karunakaran faction to continue in the Antony Cabinet after having termed it a miserable failure, Mr. Patel said the issue was the prerogative of the Chief Minister.

Terming the Rajya Sabha imbroglio as a closed chapter, Mr. Patel said the high command took a generous view following the requests made by the Chief Minister and Mr. Karunakaran. ``It was a magnanimous gesture shown by the party high command, which was in any case not afraid of taking action if anything were to happen that would affect the interests of the party,'' he remarked.

Mr. Patel termed his visit to Kerala as a routine matter, something that would have happened in the normal course and did not have any bearing on the factional feuds in the State. He admitted that some of the Congress leaders whom he had met had raised several problems relating to the organisation and functioning of the Government.

He did not want to make an elaborate comment on a matter that was purely an internal affair of the Congress. However, his main mission in the State was to seek ways to ensure better coordination between the Government and the KPCC, he said.

Asked to comment on the intensity of factional feuds here, Mr. Patel said there was hardly any party in the country which did not witness factionalism. Even the BJP was now divided over its leadership issue, with the Prime Minister himself coming out with a statement on it.

``The AICC has given much importance to its election manifesto, which would be the guiding document for Congress Governments in the State,'' he said.

Aasked about the Chief Minister's stand on Marad, Mr. Patel said Mr. Antony had handled the issue well. ``Mr. Antony was the best judge of the situation,'' he said. The KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan, who was also present at the programme, supplemented Mr. Patel's statement by stating that the Chief Minister, being the head of the Government, had certain limitations.

``But as a party, the Congress has a clear stand. It is opposed to the BJP at the Centre and in the States. The political situation in Kerala is entirely different when compared to other States,'' he added.

Mr Patel said he held a joint meeting with Mr. Antony, Mr. Karunakaran and Mr. Muraleedharan on various issues affecting the party and the Government. This was a follow-up of his earlier meetings with two senior leaders on Monday. ``We had some good dialogue at the organisational and Government levels,'' Mr. Patel said.

``It is a usual practice for partymen to represent their grievances to the AICC general secretary. And it is his duty to hear complaints regarding the party and the Government and convey it to the AICC president,'' he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• `Antony Govt. performing well'
• Karunakaran backs down
• No complaints received: NCM chief
• BJP-KC(M) tie-up in Kozhencherry
• Fourth group targets Murali
• Ready to face any inquiry: George
• MP seeks probe into mining lease deal
• Talks to bring FACT into coop. sector

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu