PV Anvar being welcomed by Abhishek Banerjee at the party office in Kolkata.
Credit: X/@AITCOfficial
Thiruvananthapuram: Trinamool Congress Kerala state convener P V Anvar on Wednesday said he will hold talks with AICC general secretary K C Venugopal before finalising his stand on the upcoming by-election to Nilambur assembly constituency in Malappuram district.
Addressing reporters in Nilambur, he said his party is ready to contest the by-poll if a positive response is not forthcoming from the opposition UDF on possible cooperation.
He said though the Trinamool Congress had submitted a letter to the UDF leadership four months back, its leadership has not yet taken a decision on accepting his party as an associate member of the front.
Without naming any Congress leader, Anvar said an attempt is being made to label him as an ‘arrogant and outspoken’ person.
“I am an outspoken person as I am speaking for the people,” he said, adding the Congress should see the larger interests of the people who, he said, were waiting to hand out heavy defeat to the ruling Left Front in the by-poll.
Anvar said he had held talks with the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan on May 15 on joining the UDF and the latter had promised to take a decision within two days. “Since then, there has been no communication,” he said.
“They are kicking at my face, when I fall at their feet. I will no longer do that. What wrong I have done?” he asked.
Listing out his bitter experiences since he quit the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) following differences with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Anvar said he has more than 25 cases registered against him now.
He said senior Congress leaders K Sudhakaran, Ramesh Chennithala and K Muraleedharan had been in touch with him, though the final decision of the UDF on an alliance with his party is yet to come.
Anvar said he had some reservations against the Congress choice of Aryadan Shoukath as the candidate in Nilambur, but it will not be a hurdle before an alliance with the front.
The Trinamool leader said he would voice grievances to K C Venugopal before taking a decision on his party’s entry to the electoral field.
Anvar said if his party is fielding a candidate, TMC leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will come to Nilambur for campaign. A decision will be taken within two days, he said.
The by-election to Nilambur consitutency, necessitated by Anvar’s resignation as MLA after he quit the LDF, is scheduled for June 19.