New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: The KPCC leadership is toughening its stance against former Union Minister K V Thomas, who took part in the seminar organised by CPM at its Party Congress venue in Kannur.

The Congress state unit is planning to pinpoint the speech of Thomas supporting SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project as an act of gross discipline.

It nurtures the view that Thomas' speech could not be justified at all since the party has been on agitation path against the project for the last many months.

The content of the speech made by Thomas at the CPM seminar did not form part of the letter given by KPCC resident K Sudhakaran to the high command, recommending disciplinary action against Thomas.

But, the KPCC now plans to highlight the anti-party stance of Thomas on the K-Rail issue.

Thomas not to be invited to PAC meet

At the KPCC political affairs committee (PAC) meeting to be held here on Monday, the leadership is going to toughen stand against Thomas.

The party is not expected to invite Thomas, who is a member of the PAC, to the meeting. The party may also request the central leadership to remove Thomas from the PAC. Since the PAC was formed by the party high command, the KPCC doesn't have the power to expel him from the committee.

Though the Congress high command fully agrees with the view of the State leadership that strong disciplinary action should be taken against Thomas, it doubts whether it would like party giving a martyr's image to Thomas by expelling him and, thereby, helping him raise his political graph.

Thomas to file reply by Tuesday

Meanwhile, K V Thomas is busy preparing reply to the show-cause notice issued to him by the disciplinary panel.

Thomas, who received the notice on Thursday, has informed AICC general secretary and disciplinary committee member Tariq Anwar that he would file the reply by Tuesday.

In his reply, Thomas plans to defend his statement eulogising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by asking what was wrong in it since former Chief Minister A K Antony had publicly lauded CPM leader and the then Industry Minister Elamaram Kareem at the inauguration of the Brahmos unit in Thiruvananthapuram.

Thomas would also highlight in his reply the statement made by KPCC former president V M Sudheeran that K Sudhakaran would cross over to the BJP if he was denied the post of the KPCC president.

It is learnt that Thomas would submit pen drive containing the visuals of these two speeches.

Thomas also plans to embarrass the Congress high command by asking how could it be possible for the party to cooperate with the CPM at the national level if disciplinary action is taken against a party leader for attending a seminar organised by the CPM.

Thomas expects that Congress president Sonia Gandhi would not expel him from the party at this juncture when the by-election to the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency is round the corner.

Thomas inching closer to CPM

However, Thomas is inching closer to the CPM. There are talks about Thomas getting a post having Cabinet rank. It is also rumoured that he might be given the charge of a new Mission formed for either coordinating development work or strengthening communal amity.