By IANS
Kochi : Veteran Kerala politician K. Karunakaran, who recently re-joined the Congress, paraded his supporters in a show of strength here Friday and profusely thanked party president Sonia Gandhi for taking him back.
The octogenarian, who returned to the Congress party on Dec 30 last year, was seated beside state Congress leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala on the dais as well as party in-charge and All India Congress Committee general secretary Mohsina Kidwai.
Karunakaran, addressing the 50,000-odd crowd at the Marine Ground here, said he had never before seen such a huge gathering at the place for a political meeting.
“Only the Congress can protect the country. Some have not come back. Remember son or father is strong only in the Congress party,” said Karunakaran, referring to his son K. Muraleedharan, who has refused to re-join the Congress.
Karunakaran did not forget to thank Sonia Gandhi profusely.
“I wished Sonia-ji to attend this meeting but she is recovering after her illness. Do you know when I was in Delhi to meet her, I was the only person whom she met despite being unwell. I have told her that whatever decision she takes, I will be with her,” said Karunakaran.
Earlier, inaugurating the meeting, Mohsina Kidwai said that the party was not new for Karunakaran.
“I welcome him and all his supporters to the Congress party and I am sure that with his return the party in Kerala will become strong,” said Kidwai.
Addressing the meeting, Chandy said that the large crowd gathered clearly indicated that the veteran’s decision to return to the Congress has proved right.
“The first sentence he said when he came to our party headquarters was that India can only be saved by the Congress party and the need of the hour is to strengthen the Congress party,” said Chandy.
Chennithala said: “We now want a Congress party without factions. People disowned us when we got busy with factions. We should not and will not indulge in faction feuds again. The Communist Party of India Marxist is now engaged in faction fighting. From now we will go forward together under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.”
Friday’s meeting was in sharp contrast to two previous rallies held at the Marine Ground by Karunakaran during which he had lashed out at the state Congress leadership, including Chandy. The first rally was in 2005, just before he walked out of the Congress, and the second in November 2006, when he merged his Democratic Indira Congress-Karunakaran with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Another difference was that unlike in the earlier rallies, his only son Muraleedharan was noticeably absent Friday. The father and son have had differences over Karunakaran’s decision to return.