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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Ramdas Athawale backs Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM; says Shinde can shift to Centre
New Delhi, Nov 26: RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, on Tuesday called for a quick decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra and suggested that incumbent Eknath Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union minister.
Addressing a press conference here, Athawale also backed senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state.
He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.
Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has declared that he was not in the race for the chief minister.
"We need to resolve this matter, without any further delay. The election results were announced on November 23 and we should have had the oath of the new chief minister on November 26, the Constitution Day," Athawale said.
Backing Fadnavis for the post of chief minister, Athawale said Shinde can become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Athawale said his RPI(A) has a presence in every part of the state, but unfortunately lost the two seats -- Dharavi and Kalina -- offered to it in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.
He demanded that an RPI member be made an MLC and a minister in the state government.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.
