By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Veteran Kerala politician K. Karunakaran, itching to rejoin the Congress party, was finally informed Thursday that he can get to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday.
Congress general secretary Mohsina Kidwai, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Kerala, told the former chief minister that the long awaited meeting would materialise in three days.
Speaking on the sidelines of a trade union meeting here, Karunakaran welcomed what he felt was the formal green signal for him to return to the Congress.
“Finally the high command has understood the feelings of an ordinary Congress worker. My return is unconditional,” he said.
“In 1982, I did not oppose the return of (Defence Minister A.K.) Antony and Oommen Chandy into the Congress when Indira Gandhi asked my opinion,” said Karunakaran, when asked if Antony had played a crucial role in his return.
On Dec 1, he had announced his willingness to return to the Congress. On Dec 10 he apologised for the “mistake” he committed by leaving the party.
Karunakaran launched his rebellion in 2003 by fielding a rebel Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls. Two years later, he formed the Democratic Indira Congress – Karunakaran (DIC-K).
In 2006, he merged it with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was then an ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.