Vayalar Ravi drops move to field daughter

Thiruvananthapuram: Faced with criticism from various sections within the party, senior Congress leader and Union Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi has dropped his plan to field his daughter Lakshmi Ravi from Kottayam segment in the April 13 Kerala Assembly polls.

"I have not discussed the matter at the party level, but sought the views of some of my friends in the party who expressed reservations. In these circumstances, I am backing out of the move in the interests of the party," Ravi said.

Ravi said he personally wanted his daughter to contest from Kottayam as he had "sentimental attachment" with the assembly segment. "My wife (late Mercy Ravi) had captured the seat from the CPI-M in 2001 and I wanted to keep that legacy,"

he said.

Ravi said his daughter was not interested in contesting. "But when I told her my wish, she said if the party took a decision, she will enter the fray," he told a television channel.

The Youth Congress Kottayam Lok Sabha committee had on Saturday passed a resolution saying Ravi's move would hurt sentiments of party activists.

Without naming Lakshmi Ravi, the resolution said, "One's legacy in politics has to be proved by deeds and not by birth."

The self-respect of ordinary Congress workers should be taken into account while deciding candidates, it said.