6 Jul 2006

Concern within Fiji Labour Party at actions of Mahendra Chaudhry's son

4:22 pm on 6 July 2006

Senior members of the Fiji Labour Party are reported to have expressed concern that Mahendra Chaudhry's son, Rajendra, has been trying to act as the party leader in his father's absence.

FLP management board member, Felix Anthony, has told Radio Legend that Rajendra Chaudhry has been issuing press statements on behalf of the party without approval.

Mr Anthony says they are concerned that Rajendra Chaudhry tries to portray himself as the legal adviser to the party when the management board has taken no decision to appoint him to that post.

Mr Anthony says Rajendra Chaudhry is just a new boy on the block and not even qualified to represent the party.

He says they are also investigating reports that Rajendra Chaudhry initiated the steps taken by Labour's Nasinu branch to suspend cabinet minister and party vice president, Krishna Datt, and call for his expulsion.

Mr Anthony says "it is very sad that this has been engineered by some individuals who consider themselves to be part of the leadership of the FLP."

He says the people in Nasinu are quite disturbed by those who have engineered the petition against Mr Datt.

Rajendra Chaudhry has denied any involvement, claiming that all letters and press statements released by the FLP office during his father's absence were done on the FLP' leader's directives.