UDF leaders rule out Kerala Congress (M) return, claim 'party base eroded'

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (PTI) A day after the Kerala Congress (Mani) reaffirmed its loyalty to the ruling LDF, a section of leaders of the opposition UDF on Wednesday intensified criticism, claiming that the party's support base has already been eroded.

Kerala Congress (M), once an ally of the UDF, shifted to the LDF under the leadership of Jose K Mani following the death of his father and party stalwart K M Mani.

While some leaders of the Congress party had hinted at KC(M)'s return to the UDF fold in view of the recent civic poll results, Kottayam District Congress Committee (DCC) president Nattakom Suresh on Wednesday voiced his displeasure over the move.

Addressing reporters here, he said the KC (M), now a key partner of the ruling LDF, had quit the UDF for no reason, and so the Congress party in the district has taken a stringent stand against them.

The UDF has won the majority of panchayats and municipalities in the Pala area, hometown of Jose K Mani, in the present polls by defeating KC (M), he claimed.

“At present, Kerala Congress is not at all a strong party in Kottayam district,” he said.

The UDF has won in all the traditional strongholds of the KC (M) in the crucial civic polls held in the state recently, he added.

Echoing similar views, Kerala Congress (Joseph) founder leader P J Joseph also continued to strongly object to any move to welcome Jose K Mani and his party back to UDF.

"The UDF has won the civic polls without their support. Why should those who have lost their foundation come to UDF?" he asked.

He was responding to a query from reporters.

Joseph also rejected reports that a discussion is still on in the Congress-led UDF to welcome back the KC(M) if they are willing to snap ties with the ruling LDF.

"There is no such discussion in the front. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has already made it clear," Joseph clarified.

The senior leaders openly expressed their displeasure about the speculations of the KC(M)'s return a day after KC(M) Chairman Jose K Mani firmly denied any possibility of its comeback to the Congress-led UDF in the wake of the recent civic polls.

After attending an LDF meeting here, Mani had affirmed that his party would stand with the Left Front.

After the results of the LSGD polls were out on Saturday, there were widespread speculations that the Kerala Congress faction may return to the UDF, eyeing the possibilities in the upcoming Assembly elections.

While some UDF leaders have supported the move, others have opposed it.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal recently suggested that parties in the LDF that share the UDF ideology would return to the front.

Earlier, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said it was up to Kerala Congress (M) to decide whether it wanted to return to the UDF.

Kerala Congress (Joseph), however, has been strongly opposing any move to bring Kerala Congress (M) back into the UDF fold.

The local body elections in Kerala saw major gains for the UDF, which won four of the six municipal corporations, while the LDF retained Kozhikode and the BJP-led NDA captured the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

The UDF also won seven of the 14 district panchayats in the state, with the LDF securing the remaining seven. PTI LGK ROH