Thiruvananthapuram: With K Muraleedharan, son of late Congress leader K Karunakaran and former KPCC president set to return to his parent party after a suspension period of six years, he has also mended fences with his sister Padmaja, with whom he had differences of views on
political issues.
Interestingly, the move of the siblings to come together and strike the posture of close family bonding is happening when re-admission of Muraleedharan to the Congress has almost
become a certainty.
A former KPCC president and ex-MP, Muraleedharan was suspended from the Congress some six years back after he broke ranks with the party and floated DIC-K with the blessings of his father.
Though Karunakaran returned to the Congress after DIC-K proved an electoral flop, his son kept away merging his outfit with NCP and headed its state unit for while. After a while, Muraleedharan himself started airing his eagerness to get back to the Congress but his re-etnry had been opposed by sections in the state unit.
In an interview to a TV channel, Muraleedharan admitted that there were differences of views in his family. "But, My father had always wanted the family to be united and my sister and I will go by that," Muraleedharan said.
Padmaja, who has remained in the Congress, endorsed what her brother said holding that the family unity was a ardent wish of their father, who passed away last month. Padmaja, who had unsusuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls on Congress ticket in 2004, said it was a fact that
some people had made an attempt to create disunity.
Muraleedharan had been waiting for a return to Congress after resigning as NCP state president last year. He had also actively worked for Congress candidates in the last local body elections in the state.
All the senior Congress leaders including Union Ministers A K Antony, Vayalar Ravi, Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala had said in recent days that obstacles to Murali`s re-entry to the party had been removed.
It was upto the High Command to take a decision on the matter, Chennithala said the other day.
Muraleedharan also visited Kozhikode District Congress Committee office yesterday after which he told reporters that it was just like a `homecoming.`
Muraleedharan`s re-entry is likely to be materialized after the conclusion of `Kerala Mochana Yatra` of Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy on February 4.
PTI
