Politics can humble even its most polished student. In March, Kerala’s oldest political warhorse K Karunakaran likened the Congress to a ‘graveyard’.
KOZHIKODE: Politics can humble even its most polished student. In March, Kerala’s oldest political warhorse K Karunakaran likened the Congress to a ‘graveyard’.
A few months before the polls, his son K Muralidharan called Sonia Gandhi’s powerful political secretary Ahmed Patel ‘Aluminum Patel’ in an infra dig comparison with the legendary Sardar Patel. Within a month the ‘graveyard’ became a picnic spot for Karunakaran and Ahmed Patel was no longer ‘Aluminum’. That was after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) took Kerala’s famous father-son duo for a neat ride and dumped them on the political highway. In a twist to their script the 89-year old Karunakaran and his son are today fighting for their political relevance.
This election, analysts said, could prove to be the endgame for the wily former chief minister and Muralidharan, basking under the past glory of his father. But the Congress will also have to pay a price for the opportunistic election-eve alliance it entered into with Karunakaran’s party — Democratic Indira Congress (K). As part of the seat-sharing arrangement DIC-K was given 18 seats, but the tie-up does not seem to have percolated down to the grassroots. In more than half-a-dozen constituencies, the Congress-DIC-K alliance has not gelled.
In some of the constituencies where DIC-K candidates are in the fray, the Congress cadre is not working wholeheartedly and vice versa. In Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s Puthupally constituency, the DIC-K is not actively campaigning for Chandy.
Downplaying the DIC-K factor, Chandy’s brother Alex V Chandy said, “They are not a factor here.” In Sultan Bathery, a Congress seat given to DIC-K, Congressmen are not campaigning giving an edge to the LDF candidate. In Thrissur, veteran Congress leader and assembly speaker Therambil Ramakrishan has asked the UDF leadership to keep Karunakaran out of his constituency. In places like Ernakulam, Kannur, Kasargod, Waynad and Malappuram, several DIC-K men have joined the CPM protesting party’s alliance with UDF. A fortnight ago, more than 100 DIC-K activists in Malappuram, including a gram panchayat vice president and his followers joined the CPM. Karunakaran was not even allowed to address the joint campaign with Sonia Gandhi in the first and second phase of pollings, said to be at the instance of Chandy-Ravi-Chennithala triumvirate. Son Muralidharan, however, managed a brief appearance with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Kozhikode. Karunakaran is now preparing for another political vault.
In the event of LDF forming a government, he might want to back the communists. But sources in the CPM said they would not need his support.
Fading Out
Name
Kunnoth Karunakaran
Age
Eighty-nine
Party
Democratic Indira Congress
Rivals
A K Antony, Oomen Chandy
Strength
His ability to change colours
Seats
Congress has given him 18 seats
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