Cherian Philip apologises for undermining Karunakaran

Thiruvananthapuram: Political leader Cheriyan Philip has expressed regret over his participation in the move that led to the ouster of K. Karunakaran from the Chief Ministership in 1995 and made a public apology through facebook.

Mr. Philip, who had left Congress later to join the CPI (M), said in his facebook post that he was making the apology on the fifth death anniversary of Karunakaran because he continued to be troubled by the feeling of guilt.

As part of group politics in the Congress during 1994-95, the ‘A’ group of Congress had portrayed Karunakaran as a spy and traitor.  They also submitted a list of charges against Karunakaran to the Congress high command and organised public meeting against the Chief Minister.  The organisers of the campaign should be feeling remorse at least now.

They had won support of seven members of the Assembly from the Karunakaran group, leading to the Chief Minister losing his majority support in the Congress legislature party, through horse trading. The tactic used was immoral and ignoble.

“I confessed my doings to the Leader (Karunakaran) in 1998 and worked hardly for his victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram as a penance. Thus I had won a place in his heart. I bow before his memory with remorse,” Mr. Philip said.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has also made a facebook post remembering Karunakaran. Without appeasing anyone, Karunakaran treated all sections on equal footing and ensured equal justice to all, Mr. Chennithala said in his facebook post.

“He was determined that development should not merely be a campaign tool but something that the people could experience,” he said.

(Some political observers have interpreted that the post, especially the above sentence, was a dig at Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.)