Kerala Congress to launch radio channel on August 15

Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 (IANS) Kerala Congress will launch a new radio channel -- 'Jai Ho' -- for airing the party's political views in the southern state. A decision to this effect was taken during the two-day brainstorming session or 'Chintan Shivir' of the Congress.

The channel will go on air from August 15 to mark the country's 75th Independence Day celebrations.

The Congress has also decided to bring back the political parties which have moved out of the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by it. The party is keen to bring back the Kerala Congress (Mani), which was a major constituent of the UDF for several decades before leaving its fold a couple of years back.

Now Kerala Congress (Mani) is a constituennt of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) with a ministerial berth and a Rajya Sabha seat. The chief whip of the LDF is also from Kerala Congress (Mani).

However, Kerala Congress (Mani) leader and former MLA Stephen George told IANS, "The Congress should at least inform us as to why we were expelled from the UDF. We are now a major part of the Left Democratic Front and we cannot at this juncture make any commitment of returning to the Congress-led UDF."

At the two-day brainstorming session, the Congress also launched its 'Mission 2024' in the run-up to the general elections scheduled in 2024.

As part of the mission, the party has called upon its cadres to be in touch with the backward classes in the society and to bring them into the Congress fold.

The party has also decided to not have any ties with 'Twenty 20', a political party floated by the industrial group Kitex, which contested a few Assembly seats in the 2021 Assembly elections.