Church boosts Kerala ruling front's morale

Trivandrum - The UDF was doubtful about the Church support as it was highly critical of its decision to convert the closed bars into wine and beer parlours.

By T K Devasia

Published: Sat 30 Apr 2016, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Sat 30 Apr 2016, 12:03 PM

The Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) has heaved a sigh of relief with the Catholic church, which holds sway over four million Catholics in Kerala, declaring open support to them in the coming assembly election.
The church that showed signs of gravitating towards the Communist Party of India-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections has veered back in favour of the ruling front following introduction of phased prohibition by the UDF government.
While the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), a permanent organisation of bishops representing the three Catholic rites, had earlier issued a general guideline to their flocks to defeat those opposing prohibition, the Trichur Archdiocese has converted it into open support to the UDF. Terming the election on May 16 as a fight between the people opposing prohibition and those supporting it, an article in Catholica Sabha, the diocese's mouthpiece, has called on faithful to support the latter. The article viewed the abstinence policy mulled by the LDF in its manifesto as a ruse to reopen over 730 bars closed in 2014 as part of the phased prohibition.
The latest stand is considered as a huge relief to the ruling front since the district, which was considered pro-UDF, had shown a leaning towards the LDF in the 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha election.
The LDF had staged a big comeback by winning the Trichur Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 election and eight of the 12 assembly seats in the assembly elections in 2011.
The UDF was doubtful about the Church support as it was highly critical of its decision to convert the closed bars into wine and beer parlours.
The Catholic Sabha itself had come out against the decision terming it a dilution of the prohibition policy. However, the UDF's promise to make Kerala alcohol free within ten years has made the Church to review its stand.
The Trichur diocese's support to the UDF is considered as a reflection of the pro-UDF sentiment among the Christians as a whole. In fact, the KCBC guideline had put many pro-Left groups among the minority community, which account for 18.5 per cent of the population, in a tight spot. Many of them have not been able to lend open support to Left Democratic Front candidates because of the guideline. While the Malayora Karshaka Samithi (MKS), a farmer's body to protect hill side farmers sponsored by Thamaraserry diocese, dropped its move to support the LDF, the High Range Samrakshana Samithi (HRSS) is heading for a split with one section declaring their support to the LDF in defiance of the guideline.
A major section of the organisation rallied behind the ruling front after Idukki bishop Mar Mathew Anikuzhikattil, patron of HRSS, said they could not support the LDF as he had to uphold the KCBC decision. The other section led by Idukki MP Joice George backed the LDF to reciprocate the support extended to him by the LDF in the Lok Sabha poll.
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