Date:04/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/04/stories/2009010454160500.htm

Kerala - Thrissur

VS must quit: BJP

Staff Reporter

Thrissur: Bharatiya Janata Party State president P.K. Krishnadas has said that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan should resign as he could not honour the promises he made while he was the Leader of the Opposition. Addressing a meeting of the State committee here on Saturday, he said Mr. Achuthanandan had better join the third front being planned by BJP.

The State committee meeting decided to explore the possibility of forming a third front in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The meeting said the current political situation in the Centre and the State, triggered by administrative lapses, would favour the alternative front.

The meeting also discussed selection of BJP candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Sources said BJP was likely to field candidates in all Lok Sabha seats in the State.

BJP national organising secretary V. Satheesh, leaders O. Rajagopal, P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, K.V. Sreedharan, V. Muralidharan, K.R. Umakantan, A.N. Radhakrishnan, Madikkai Kamaran and M.T. Ramesh also spoke.

The State leadership did not allow V.K. Sasikumar, former party president of Guruvayur, who was nominated to the State panel, to take part in Saturday’s meeting. The leadership maintained that his nomination had been withheld following protests by a section of party members. Copies of pamphlets demanding re-instatement of senior leader P.P. Mukundan in the State unit of the party were found outside the venue for the meeting on Friday.