Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 30 (IANS): As things stand, in the conflict between Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) chairman B. Ashok, and CPI-M backed KSEB Officers' Association led by its president M.G. Suresh Kumar, the former had the last laugh, with the transferred officials taking up their post on Saturday.

The standoff between the two is now almost a month-old and now it seems Ashok is in control of the situation. Power Minister K. Krishnankutty on Saturday dismissed all the bickering as "nothing but what at times happens in a family".

"We all have seen at times in families there are difference of opinion and after a while, things cool down and the family is back as one," said Krishnankutty, whose support for Ashok was the key that worked to tame these otherwise brash union leaders.

Putting a brave face, Kumar who joined at his new posting said all three of us have decided to join where we have been transferred.

"Talks will continue and we are expecting things to end," said Kumar.

Ashok who is also the president of the Kerala IAS officers Association, right from the time the tiff began, has been putting his foot down, and none of the arm twisting tactics which was hitherto very effectively used by the CPI-M backed KSEB Association made any impact, as he first suspended a lady engineer, then suspended Kumar and his deputy and after being reinstated, all the three were transferred to distant places.

So now with all the three joining at places where they have been asked to join, a round of discussion is now slated to take place in the presence of Krishnankutty on May 5.