Stage set for another showdown

KANNUR: The stage is set for a direct confrontation between P Ramakrishnan, who stepped down as president of the Kannur DCC, and the KPCC leadership with the former keeping away from the one-man commission, Karakulam Krishna Pillai, appointed by the KPCCto look into the  charge of embezzlement of funds raised by him against  Congress leader K Sudhakaran MP.Several Congress workers and some relatives of the martyrs for which the funds were mobilised by the party presented evidence before Karakulam, who held a sitting at the Govt Guest House here on Monday. The Karakulam Commission also talked to some of the relatives of Sajithlal, who was killed by political opponents. P Ramakrishnan failed to turn up before the commission.Karakulam told ‘Express’ that he would meet all those who wanted to meet him including senior leaders of the party. Karakulam said that he is also planning to meet all the Congress MLAs in the district. Since all the Congress MLAs are in Thiruvananthapuram, he would talk to them after returning to the state capital.K Sudhakaran MP, who is in Delhi is expected to reach here on Tuesday morning to offer evidence to the Karakulam Commission. Sudhakaran has been keeping a low profile ever since the latest outburst of P Ramakrishnan  forced the latter to quit the post of DCC president. He had persistently refused to react to the allegations made against him by P Ramakrishnan stating that he would express his views in the party forum.At the same time, P Ramakrishnan made it abundantly clear that he wouldn’t cooperate with the probe being conducted by Karakulam Krishna Pillai. When contacted by ‘Express’ Ramakrishnan said, “The Congress affairs in Kannur should be probed by a senior leader of the party.  Karakulam himself had made it clear through a statement in Thiruvananthapuram that he was the supporter of a group in the party. Karakulam can’t function as an impartial inquiry commission.” Karakulam said  he would file the inquiry report  in a week