Congress cannot keep off Muralidharan for long

By O.J.George

Now that a section of the Congress and some leaders of the party at the national level are keen to have K.Muralidharan, son of senior leader K.Karunakaran, back into the party-fold, it seems he cannot be kept at bay for a very long time.

Muralidharan has expressed his wish to be part of the Congress again and the party can put a lot of conditions to enable his entry. No one will object to a clear-cut rider being enforced for his entry to the effect that there can never be a return of the sort of mudslinging on leaders.

One should salute Karunakaran for the way he came back to the Congress. He apologized to Sonia Gandhi unconditionally. Muralidharan can also very well do that, simultaneously opening up some back channel communication.

Politics in Kerala is closely enjoined with social, cultural and even religious overtones. Karunakaran and his son had an active political life. Muralidharan cannot join any other party now. By closing the door to him, what is the Congress asking him to do? Should he take up some other profession? No, his life is in politics just as anyone else’s.

People may fear there would be return of the old style harangues. But that is too much of a fear, for politics is never a stagnant pool of activities. It goes on and on and evolves itself in one form or other.

A lot of developments are happening in the BJP, the CPM and other parties in tune with what is happening in their respective spheres.

The leaders of the Congress Party cannot hope to cling on like this, closing the door on Muralidharan, for the people at large would see the signs on the wall and call for inclusion.

And as far as Muralidharan is concerned, he should apologise to Sonia Gandhi for the wrong comments he had made in the past.