Anti-Murali `I' group leaders to meet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the veteran Congress leader K. Karunakaran and the expelled leader K. Muraleedharan going ahead with their plans to split the Congress, factionalism in the party is taking a new shape. This time, the former leaders of the `I' faction are meeting in separate groups.

The first group comprises leaders known for their opposition to Mr. Muraleedharan, but continue to be loyal to Mr. Karunakaran, while the other comprising leaders who left Mr. Karunakaran at various points of time in the last decade. In the meantime, the Karunakaran faction suffered another set back when V.S. Sivakumar, known to be one of Mr. Karunakaran's close confidantes, dissociated himself from the moves to split the party.

The UDF convener, P.P. Thankachan, the former Electricity Minister, Kadavoor Sivadasan, the KPCC treasurer, C.N. Balakrishnan, are among those in the forefront to organise the `I' group members, mostly those who left the faction recently because they found it difficult to get along with Mr. Muraleedharan and his attempts to split the party.

According to sources close to these leaders, all KPCC, DCC office-bearers, executive members, MLAs, frontal organisation leaders who quit the faction refusing to accept Mr. Muraleedharan's move to split the party would hold a get-together on Thrusday in Thiruvananthapuram.

The other group's agenda is slightly different. Its main aim is to protect the interests of all `I' group members, including the Third and Fourth groups in the context of the expected split. According to the assessment of the leaders of this group, more than 90 per cent of the `I' group workers are against a split. "The main item on our agenda is to ensure all `I' group leaders and workers remain in the party and are given adequate protection," according to a leader of the Third group, which is in the forefront of organising this get-together.

"Once the split materialises, it is imperative to protect the interests of the `I' group.

There is a need to ensure a sense security among these workers," he said.

The decision to convene such a meeting has been taken on the basis of an understanding arrived at after discussions with the KPCC president, Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy and other leaders. At these discussions, it was generally felt that all those who were prepared to quit the Karunakaran faction should be given an assurance that their positions would be protected, he said. The convening of the two meetings clearly suggests that factionalism is far from over in the Congress. The race is now to attract Mr. Karunakaran's camp followers.