Amid heightened speculation over a possible return of Kerala Congress (M) to the UDF, Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani on Wednesday dismissed suppositions regarding a possible change in the party’s political alignment ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.
Speaking to the media in Kottayam, Mani reaffirmed that his party will remain firmly with the Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by CPM, and he said Kerala Congress has one stand, and that stand is with the Left.
“Kerala Congress has a firm stand. There has been no change in it. There is no need to explain the stand every day, “ Mani said.
Jose K Mani said that he did not attend the protest organised by the Left Front against the Union government in Thiruvananthapuram the other day because he was abroad. He said the news that the Kerala Congress(M) stayed away from the protest is not true. He said that the party leaders had attended the LDF programme. Five MLAs of the Kerala Congress also attended the protests in Thiruvananthapuram, he added.
He said the Kerala Congress is receiving invitations from many places. “The invitations are clear proof that the party has a strong influence. It is clear that where there is Kerala Congress (M), there will be government, Mani said.
In the past few days, there have been political speculations and media reports indicating that the Kerala Congress (M) may part ways with the ruling LDF and will return to the Congress-led UDF. The speculation gained strength with Jose’s absence from the LDF’s protest meeting on Monday against the Union government. Media reports also suggested that even Sonia Gandhi had personally spoken with Jose K Mani on his party’s return to the UDF fold.
Meanwhile, amid speculation that Kerala Congress (M) may part ways with the LDF, the state government has decided to earmark land to set up a memorial for the late Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani.
A meeting of the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to lease out 25 cents of land at Kowdiar in the state capital to the KM Mani Foundation to set up the KM Mani Memorial Institute for Social Transformation. As per the decision, land will be given on lease for a period of 30 years at Rs 25 per acre.