Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader K Karunakaran on July 21 demanded removal of A K Antony as Chief Minister, but said for the time being his group was refraining from taking "hard steps" in the light of intervention from the high command.

Maintaining that his faction was strong enough to oust the government, he told reporters that his faction was refraining from hard steps now since the high command had directly intervened in the matter.

"It is not the feeling of the 'I' group alone, but generally of the people in the state," Karunakaran said.

He said All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Ahmed Patel had talked to him in the morning.

PTI