Thiruvananthapuram: The factional war in Congress in Kerala hotted up today (Nov 1), with Chief Minister A K Antony virtually accusing his detractor and senior leader K Karunakaran of "plotting a palace coup" and made it clear he was ready to face a trial of strength but not immediately.

"I have only one request to those who are trying to seize power through a palace coup. Who is your leader? What is your agenda and which all parties will be there in the alternative Government?" he told reporters on his arrival in Thiruvananthapuram from New Delhi, where he met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Meanwhile, two Congress allies – Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress-Balakrishna Pillai (KC-B) – played a wait and watch game, maintaining that it was for the Congress to sort out its "internal issue" of leadership.

Antony charged the Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) with trying to topple his Government through "undemocratic means" by trying to engineer defection with promises of Ministership. "They will not be able to create a split in the Congress in the State."

CPM leaders are saying now that they would disclose the details after crossing the bridge. "This is a ploy to hoodwink people and there is a hidden agenda in this. If the truth comes out, they will not be able to face the people," he said.

Dismissing Antony's charge, CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said in Kochi that "the Chief Minister can rest assured that we are not making any efforts to form Government through the back-door."

Antony's allegation that CPM was trying to engineer a split in the Congress was unfounded, he said. "Can we split Congress even if we want to?"

PTI