It's best that Kurien approaches High Command: Chandy
Kottayam, June 10: Veteran Congress leader P.J. Kurien should approach the party High Command over why he was not re-nominated to the Rajya Sabha, former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Sunday.
Addressing reporters at his hometown, Chandy said the general norm for a Congress worker or leader if he has any grouse was to approach the High Command.
"I heard him saying he will give a complaint against me to the High Command. That's the best way. Once he gives the complaint, he will get the right answer to it," Chandy said.
"Kurien also mentioned that I am the main person behind he not getting a re-nomination. I think Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and state party president M.M. Hassan have given a reply to it (they said it was a collective decision).
"I also heard him say that it was I who asked the young party legislators to demand that he should not seek re-election. Some of these legislators have already responded to that," he added.
For the past three days, Kurien has been breathing fire at Chandy, calling him the sole person responsible for the gifting of a Rajya Sabha seat which the Congress would have won to estranged former ally, Kerala Congress ( Mani).
Since then, party leaders like K.V. Thomas, K. Muraleedharan and A.K. Sudhakaran have urged that in the larger interests of the party, better sense should prevail and everyone in the Congress should remain united.
Senior party leader Pandalam Sudhakaran on Sunday urged former Chief Minister and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony to break his silence on the issue.
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BJP's Purvanchali leader Anil Jha joins AAP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP's Purvanchali leader and two-time former MLA from Kirari Anil Jha joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday.
The development came a few hours after the AAP suffered a big blow as its Najafgarh MLA and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot quit the party.
Kejriwal welcomed Jha to the AAP at party headquarters near Mandi House and dubbed him as one of the "biggest" Purvanchali leaders in Delhi politics. He will boost the AAP not only in Kirari but all over the city, the AAP supremo said.
Party sources claimed that Jha could replace the sitting AAP MLA from Kirari, in the Delhi Assembly polls due in February.
Jha lauded Kejriwal, saying he was influenced by his personality and the work done by the AAP government to improve the lives of Purvanchali people living in unauthorised colonies of the city.
Kejriwal alleged that while the AAP government built 10,000 km of roads and streets, laid 6800 km of sewer lines and provided piped water in 1,650 unauthorised colonies, "the BJP did nothing".
"I want to ask the BJP and its leader Amit Shah, why should Purvanchali people vote for the party. I challenge them to tell one thing they did for the Purvanchali people in Delhi. They promised the registry of properties in these colonies but not a single one could be done in five years," he said.
When asked by reporters Kejriwal, however, refused to comment on Gahlot's resignation from the AAP.
