Kottayam: The Kerala Congress (M) faction, led by Jose K Mani, on Tuesday said it would take an "appropriate decision at the appropriate time" on taking its next course of political action, a day after it was ousted from the Congress-led UDF. Meanwhile, the Congress sought to strike a truce with the Jose K Mani group which was ousted yesterday over the tussle on the Kottayam district panchayat chief post. Talking to reporters after the state leaders of his faction met here to discuss its future course of action, Jose said the UDF has severed its "heart to heart relationship" with the Kerala Congress founded by his late father K M Mani.
"We have been removed from the UDF. In such a situation, what is the scope for a discussion with its leaders?" Jose said, responding to a query on the statements of senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday indicating a truce with the Jose faction. Jose said at present his faction has no plans to join any political front. The faction''s next course of action will be decided after meetings at various levels, Jose said. "We will take the appropriate decision at the appropriate time," he added. Earlier in the day, Chandy said the UDF had not closed its doors on the Jose K Mani-led faction.
"It is not a closed chapter," Chandy told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. Ahead of the virtual meeting of UDF on July 1, Chandy indicated that the faction can still come back to the UDF fold if it honours a pact on the issue of Kottayam district panchayat president''s post. As per the agreement with the front, the Jose faction was allowed to hold the post for six months and the faction led by Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph for the remaining six months. Declaring the decision to oust Jose faction from the UDF, its convener Benny Behanan had said yesterday that even after eight months the Jose faction refused to honour the agreement. "Besides, the faction openly declared that the pact was not valid," Behanan had said.
Meanwhile, the CPI on Tuesday opposed any move to induct the Jose faction into the ruling LDF fold, saying there was no need to give life to a political group which is weakened. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said the LDF did not have any responsibility to provide "ventilator support" to any political faction when it weakened. The decision to oust the Jose faction from the UDF was taken at a high-level meeting of the front held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
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