THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In spite of opposition from within, the ruling Left front is warming up to the Kerala Congress Jose K Mani faction, which has been put on notice by the opposition UDF. Ignoring dissent from the CPI, the CPM leadership has begun sending out signals to the Jose K Mani faction.
Close on the heels of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan keeping options open for the faction's entry into the Left front, CPM state chief Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Thursday termed the KC(M) a political force to reckon with.
LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan said the front will discuss political developments including the Jose faction's Left entry and the crisis in the UDF, he said.
Earlier, Kodiyeri in an article in party mouthpiece 'Deshabhimani' said the Congress leadership has failed to address the dispute between warring KC(M) factions led by Jose K Mani and PJ Joseph. The recent political development shows that the UDF has lost its organisational unity and this would hasten its total destruction, he added.
"Kerala Congress is one of the UDF allies with mass support. Without KC (M), UDF will become more weak. The LJD, which was part of the UDF during the last Assembly elections, is now part of the Left front," said Kodiyeri.
LDF convener A Vijayaraghavn also pointed out that the Jose faction has a considerable mass base. "Now Jose K Mani is out of the UDF. However he hasn't made his stance clear. Once the party announces its political stance, the LDF will also make its stance clear," said Vijayaraghavan.
To questions on whether the Left would open its doors for the Jose faction, Vijayaraghavan said a decision on the same would be taken only after discussions within the front.
In a related development, Left ally NCP, which had not been happy about the Jose faction's entry, too welcomed it to the Left fold on Thursday. NCP leader and Pala MLA Mani C Kappan, however, made it clear that the party will not surrender the Pala seat.
Meanwhile, Jose K Mani welcomed the Left leaders' comments. "We are happy that the Left leaders stated that KC(M) is a party with a political base. However, as of now, no discussions were held within the party about moving to any political front. No decision has been taken in this regard. The party will take the appropriate decision at the appropriate time," he said responding to the media.