Muraleedharan meets Congress leaders in Delhi to push for re-entry

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Nov 21 : K. Muraleedharan, the son of former Kerala chief minister K. Karunakaran, met Congress leaders, including party general secretary in charge of Kerala Mohsina Kidwai and Defence Minister A.K. Antony in the national capital to push his case for re-entry into the party, which could take some time.

Mohsina Kidwai told reporters in Delhi that Muraleedharan's re-entry will not happen all of a sudden.

"Even though the party high command is the deciding authority on whom to take, the state leadership will be taken into confidence before a decision is taken to admit anyone into the party," Kidwai said, adding that the letter given by Muraleedharan would be sent to the state party unit for discussion.

Muraleedharan, who Saturday returned to Kerala, also met Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi.

Addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Ravi said the best way for Muraleedharan to return to the party is to ensure that he gets a positive opinion from the state leadership of the party.

"Once that happens then things would be better," said Ravi, after meeting ailing Karunakaran in a hospital here.

Muraleedharan was suspended from the Congress for anti-party activities in 2005, following which he and Karunakaran formed the Democratic Indira Congress-Karunakaran (DIC-K). A year later, the DIC-K merged with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Muraleedharan was expelled from the NCP Aug 1 this year after he expressed his interest in returning to the Congress. Karunakaran returned to the Congress in December 2007.