Kerala UDF constituencts call truce

Kozhikode, April 22 (IANS) A ceasefire of sorts has been declared between the two bickering constituents of the ruling United Democratic front (UDF) in Kerala - the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the state Congress unit - after a meeting between their top leaders here Sunday.

IUML chief Panakkad Hyder Ali Sihab Thangal and state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala met on the sidelines of a wedding reception.

Soon after the meeting, Thangal issued a statement which said it was high time to stop washing dirty linen in public.

"The need of the hour is a strong and united UDF because the present government led by Oommen Chandy is rated as one of the best the state has seen. Public utterances will only weaken the UDF and such a thing should never happen. From today onwards, no one in the IUML should make any sort of remarks against other leaders," read the statement.

The political atmosphere in the UDF had come under severe stress with the open utterances by top leaders of both parties which began ever since the IUML took a firm position that they will not be quiet until and unless they were given a fifth ministerial berth.

Once the fifth berth was given to IUML, things went berserk and it reached a point when top leaders of the two parties began to utter shameful remarks.

On his part, Chennithala stated that as the Congress party is leading the UDF, some compromises have to be made and from now on there should be no more public statements from any quarters.

State Industries Minister and the most powerful IUML political leader, P.K. Kunhalikutty reacted by saying that all the issues have been settled.

"All the issues have been settled in the UDF and we will go forward in a united manner," said Kunhalikutty.