UDF front leaders meeting postponed to Aug 10

Kochi/Kottayam: Apparently bowing to pressure from Kerala Congress(M), opposition UDF today decided to postpone the next meeting of front leaders from August 4 to 10.

UDF Convenor P P Thankachan said the agitation against the state government policies and the next meeting of the front leaders will be held on August 10.

The decision to postpone the programmes was taken considering the "inconvenience" of Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani in attending it on August 4, he told PTI.

Thankachan had yesterday said that Mani assured him of attending the UDF agitation against "anti-people" policies of the CPI(M)-led LDF government on August 4.

Meanwhile, a day after he abstained from a key meeting of UDF in Thiruvananthapuram, Mani today said it was better to hold next meeting after his party's camp scheduled for the first week of next month.

Talking to reporters in Pala, Mani said he abstained from the meeting due to "personal inconvenience" and it was informed to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty, bypassing UDF chairman and Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala.

KC(M) sources said the crucial camp of the party to be held in Charalkkunnu in August first week would decide its future course of action on its tie up with Congress.

Differences between the party and Congress over the bar bribery scam seemingly came to the fore yesterday with KC-M "boycotting" the front leaders' meeting.

Meanwhile, Chennithala downplayed the entire episode, saying "there are no big issues in UDF".

"Kerala Congress is an integral part of UDF. Issues remaining will be settled through discussions and dialogue," he told reporters here.

"Mani will attend next UDF meeting," Chandy told reporters in response to a query.

The already sour relations between the two parties over the scam sharpened recently after Chandy and Chennithala attended the betrothal ceremony of the daughter of controversial hotelier Biju Ramesh with the son of Congress leader and former minister Adoor Prakash.

Biju Ramesh, working President of Kerala State Bar Hotel Owners Association, had levelled the bar bribery charge against Mani, which finally led to his resignation in November last year.

The KC-M mouthpiece had recently come out with two articles alleging Congress leaders Chennithala and Chandy were behind the scam.

KC-M has maintained that a "conspiracy" was behind the scam.