M A I N   N E W S

Bid to mollify Karunakaran
Azad, Vora to rush to Kerala
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 12
A worried Congress today decided to send two senior leaders to Kerala to mollify the dissident leader, Mr K. Karunakaran, even as the party sought to queer the pitch of its agitation on the Tehelka expose by organising a rally in Jaipur on April 14 which will be addressed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The decision to send Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mr Moti Lal Vora to Kerala was taken after a veiled threat from Mr Karunakaran about the possibility of rebel Congress candidates entering the fray in the state.

Mr Karunakaran, who continued his tirade against his arch rival Mr A.K. Antony, said yesterday in Thiruvananthapuram that unless his supporters got justice from the high command, he would be unable to prevent them from entering the electoral fray.

Stung by the threat, which could seriously undermine prospects of a UDF victory in the Kerala poll, the Congress high command decided to send two of its senior most leaders to mollify Mr Karunakaran. While Mr Azad is the party general secretary in charge of Kerala, Mr Vora is a veteran party leader. Party leaders say that against the initial proposal to send one leader to Kerala, the party chose to send two so as to convey the impression to Mr Karunakaran that his demands were being taken seriously.

The octogenarian Mr Karunakaran is among the most senior leaders of the party.

There were reports earlier that Ms Ambika Soni was being sent to Kerala, but the party quickly denied these.

Mr Vora and Mr Azad, who are leaving for Kerala tomorrow, would talk to various factions in the party to find a way out of the current impasse generated by Mr Karunakaran’s charges of favouritism in the distribution of party tickets.

Mr Karunakarn, who is strongly against Mr Antony being projected as the Chief Minister in case of a UDF victory, may even demand the top job for one of his supporters.

The negotiating skills of the two party emissaries will be hard put to task as any overt inclination towards the Karunakaran group is likely to draw opposition from the other groups within the Kerala Congress.

However, with their main objective being preventing the rebels from entering the fray, some concession is likely to be given to Mr Karunakaran.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which is into its second phase of agitation against the Vajpayee government on the Tehelka expose, plans to hold a rally in Jaipur on April 14 which would be addressed by Ms Gandhi.