UDF said the Kerala (M) congressional faction led by Jose K Mani had not been ousted.
Thiruvananthapuram:
In a turnaround, the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) said on Wednesday that the Kerala (M) Congress faction led by Jose K Mani had not been ousted, but had been invited only to keep away from frontline meetings.
“The UDF leadership did not oust anyone from the front. The front only decided not to allow the José faction to participate in UDF meetings until it accepted the agreement reached by the earlier coalition on the post of president of the panchayat of the district of Kottayam “, declared the president of the UDF. Ramesh Chennithala told reporters after a meeting with frontline partners in Thiruvananthpuram.
According to the agreement, the faction Jose K Mani was authorized to hold the office of president Panchayat for eight months and the faction led by the president of the party, PJ Joseph, for the remaining six months.
However, after their term, the faction Jose K Mani refused to resign, prompting the UDF to take action. “We have not removed any faction from the front,” said Chennithal, a senior congressional official, and criticized the media for making a false statement.
Since there was no other option, it was decided not to allow the José faction to participate in any of the UDF meetings, he said.
“When they agree to implement the UDF decision, the faction will be allowed to participate in the meetings,” said Chennithala, adding that the media unfortunately believed they had been removed from the front.
The flip-flop came two days after UDF official Benny Behanan announced that the front had decided to overthrow the José faction after it refused to honor the agreement to share the post.
After the death of KM Mani, supremo of the Kerala Congress (M) and father of Jose K Mani, there were differences of opinion within this party.
The UDF attempted to unite the two factions.
But since they could not work together, it was decided to consider them as two separate parts, said Mr. Chennithala.
According to a truce, the faction Jose K Mani was authorized to occupy the post of president of the panchayat of the district of Kottayam during eight months, after which the remaining period would be occupied by the faction led by PJ Joseph, president in office of the party.
Describing the Jose faction as an “integral part” of the front,
Chennithala said they shared a four-decade relationship.
For the past four months, UDF leaders have held talks with the faction, but there have been no fruitful results, he said.
Jose K Mani described the ousting of the UDF as a “political injustice” and made it clear that they were not ready to speak to the UDF.
After the latest development, Jose K Mani, a deputy from Rajya Sabha, told reporters in Kottayam that there was no change in their position.
“What harm have we done?” He asked. The Jose faction has two deputies and two deputies.
