Union civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi said on Monday that he too had nursed a desire to be Chief Minister but had to “given it up”.
“I did nurse such a desire,” he said here, adding, “And I expressed it. It is no longer there. I cannot say anything about future possibilities.”
Mr Ravi also said that there was no row in the Congress or the United Democratic front on who should be chief minister. “Everyone knows who will be Chief Minister,” said Mr Ravi. “Oommen Chandy has been leading the UDF capably for the last several years. So there is no doubt that he will be chief minister when UDF comes to power.”
The Union minister said that though KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala is also contesting the polls, he is not aiming to be Chief Minister. “I don’t think that Ramesh wants to be Chief Minister,” said Mr Ravi, who had once headed the KPCC himself. “He himself had made that clear.”
Mr Ravi said that it is shameful that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan was going from meeting to meeting, threatening to jail Opposition leaders.
“It reminds me of the old Soviet Union when Josef Stalin thought he could ext-erminate all his rivals,” said Mr Ravi.