Cong expels Monai for anti-party activity

Pathanamthitta leader openly canvassed for Cpm-backed independent candidate Philiphose

trivandrum — Heads have started rolling in the Congress party in Kerala over antiparty activities during the Lok Sabha elections held on April 10 even before the counting of votes with the party axing a senior leader in Pathanamthitta.

The Pathanamthitta District Congress Committee (DCC) on Monday expelled Varghese P. Monai, a former DCC member, from the primary membership of the party for allegedly canvassing votes openly for Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed independent candidate, Philiphose Thomas.

DCC president P. Mohanraj said action was taken on the basis of a report submitted by the Ranni Congress block committee that Monai was found moving with the LDF candidate, who himself is a former All India Congress Committee (AICC) member, during his door-to-door campaign. The CPM fielded him as its independent mainly because of the strong stand he took against the move to build a new airport at Aranmula in the constituency in the private sector.

The action followed an open spat between Congress candidate Anto Antony and Kerala Congress (M) vice-chairman and government chief whip P.C. George over the chances of UDF’s victory in Pathanamthitta that recorded the lowest polling in the state. Anto accused George of working for his defeat in the UDF stronghold.

George and Anto locked horns on television channels on the polling day itself after the former predicted Anto’s defeat. George said he had warned the Congress leadership against fielding Anto, a sitting MP, whom he described a ‘dacoit’.

Reacting to the statement, Anto said George was taking anticipatory bail after doing everything to harm him. He said he was aware of the anti-UDF activities of George and added that his attempt will not succeed. “I will comfortably win the seat,” he added.

The chief whip had also predicted a de- feat for the Congress candidate at Wayanad and tough going for UDF candidates Shashi Tharoor and M.P. Veerendra Kumar in Trivandrum and Palghat, respectively. George said several seats Congress won in 2009 will disappear and the UDF may end up with a dozen seats this time.

Dissent is also brewing in Idukki district with the Kerala Congress blaming a section of the Congress workers for the low turnout in the Thodupuzha Assembly segment of the hill constituency. Denying the charge, the Idukki District Congress Committee claimed that party candidate Dean Kuriakose will win the seat by 40,000 votes.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said George’s reading was erroneous. He told reporters in Bangalore on Monday that the UDF will put up an impressive show in the state. He said the UDF had worked unitedly in Pathanamthitta and Idukki and the Congress will win both the seats.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran has also disapproved George’s statement. He said it was not right to make such statements after the polls. “If George had any complaints, he should have raised it before the elections;” he added.

Stating that the UDF will meet soon and evaluate the chances, Sudheeran urged George and his own partymen not to wash dirty linen in public.