After taking a defiant stance that she will not settle for anything more than five seats and threatening to leave the opposition UDF coalition, veteran leader K.R. Gowriamma, made a climbdown on Sunday and agreed to take four seats.
The JSS leader, who was insisting on five seats, gave in after the Congress leadership refused to budge. KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala had made it clear that the Congress would not be able to grant more seats and JSS was free to choose its future course of action.
Even though Gowriamma has decided to stay on with the UDF for the time being, the CPI(M) has not lost hope of bringing her back to its fold. The CPI(M) had expelled her from the party in 1994.
“Let her make her ideological position clear,” said senior CPI(M) leader and finance minister Thomas Isaac. “It is not the question of seats. It is about how long she can stand the betrayal by the UDF.”
Political observers here say the CPI(M) is keen on the 92-year-old Gowriamma’s return as the party wants to accord her a honourable place in her twilight years.
At the same time, it is not willing to extend the same graceful gesture to another expelled leader, the firebrand M.V. Raghavan.
While Gowriamma faced only criticism after her expulsion, the CPI(M) cadre literally bayed for Mr Raghavan’s blood. The party also blamed him for the near fatal attack on CPI(M) leader E.P. Jayarajan, in 1995 and the Koothuparama firing in which four DYFI activists were killed.