UDF, LDF should keep away KC factions�

KOTTAYAM: A few former Kerala Congress stalwarts, including former chairmen K V Kurien and George J Mathew, both former MLAs, took up cudgels for the Congress on Monday, and denounced the practice of the leadership of the former to drag the names of Church leaders now and then for political mileage and to protect their vested interests.

�To create room for clean politics in Kerala, both the LDF and the UDF should avoid the splinter groups of the Kerala Congress from their fold, they said.

Kurien and Mathew, who hold the membership of the Kottayam DCC and the KPCC, respectively, as well as Congress colleagues and former KC(M) MLAs M V Mani (Angamali), P M Mathew (Kaduthuruthy) and V J Joseph (Poonjar), told reporters here on Monday that the leadership of the Catholic Church had never indulged in any bargaining for a representative of a political party, took sides with a faction, or become its spokesman. �As true Catholics and as those who had been peoples representatives, we know the truth,� they said. �The Church leadership stands by the secular character of the nation with all respect to various communities in the state,� they said.

The rank and file of the Kerala Congress, who are misled by the leadership of the party so far, should realise their folly and join the mainstream Congress, they said.