The Congress is undecided over the question of initiating disciplinary action against Kerala satrap K Karunakaran, who defied the high command and put up a rebel candidate, Kodoth Govindan Nair, in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections.
At a meeting on Thursday, Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad and R K Dhavan failed to arrive at a consensus.
The high command had to despatch Azad and Dhavan to Kerala to defuse the crisis and ensure the victory of the two official nominees, Vayalar Ravi and Thennala Balakrishna Pillai.
Soni wanted tough action, but the other two were not willing to do anything that would further complicate the matter. Finally, they agreed to put forward their views to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.
After the meeting, Soni said, "There is a mechanism in the Congress according to which we would all act to hammer out a comprehensive view and not a piecemeal solution."
"Certain course of actions have been set forward and we would first put them before the Congress president."
Dhavan said, "We always believe in unity and discipline has to be enforced."
Congress sources said Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Muraleedharan had sent a five-page report to Gandhi advising her to call both Karunakaran, who is his father, and Chief Minister A K Anthony to New Delhi and discuss all problems.
Muraleedharan told her that he had carried out her instructions, but the state unit was plagued with factionalism.
