Why the church in kerala wants its flock to back the congress led udf

10/25/2020 Why the Church in Kerala wants its flock to back the Congress-led UDF
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ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
Why the Church in Kerala
wants its flock to back the
Congress-led UDF
A directive by an influential Church group related to Prohibition
has unsettled groups that have been gravitating towards the
Left.
TK Devasia
Apr 29, 2016 · 10:30 am
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IANS
Apr 29, 2016 · 10:30 am
TK Devasia
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A pre-election directive by an influential Catholic group in Kerala asking its flock not
to vote for candidates from parties that do not support Prohibition, has put several
Church-backed bodies in a spot.
The ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front introduced phased prohibition in
Kerala in August 2014. The policy has led to the closure of over 730 bars in the state so
far, and if Prohibition continues, Kerala is expected to be alcohol free by 2024. Ahead
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of the May 16 state elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which heads the
Left Democratic Front, has refused to clarify its stance on Prohibition despite pressure
from several quarters, including its general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
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The Church wields considerable political clout in Kerala because of its influence over
Christians, who constitute nearly 18% of the population and are a force to reckon with
in 42 of the state’s 140 constituencies. Therefore, the directive by the Kerala Catholic
Bishops Council, a body of bishops representing three Catholic denominations in the
state, means that Christian groups that were gravitating towards the Left may now
need to rethink their strategy.
Falling in line
Some groups have abandoned plans to back the LDF following the directive, while
others are set to defy it.
The Malayora Karshaka Samithi, formed for the protection of hillside farmers with
the support of the Church, has dropped plans to support the LDF and is set to enter
the fray directly. It will contest the Thiruvambady seat in Kozhikode district. The High
Range Samrakshana Samithi, another Church-sponsored body, is headed for a split
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with one section declaring its support to the LDF. This faction – headed by Idukki MP
Joice George, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 with LDF support – has
already started working for the LDF candidate at Idukki, returning the support
extended to George by the Left during the 2014 Parliamentary elections.
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The Thamaraserry and Idukki dioceses, which backs both these organisations, have
not taken kindly to both the moves.
Other groups like the Kerala Latin Catholic Association, which has supported the LDF
in the past elections, and the Indian Farmers Movement, a Church-sponsored peasants
forum, are lying low for now. Though the LDF offered the Ernakulam seat to Shaji
George, the president of the Kerala Latin Catholic Association, the offer has been
declined.
Infam has, however, backed a candidate of the National Democratic Alliance led by
the Bharatiya Janata Party. A priest associated with the movement said that body
backs former Tamil Nadu chief secretary PC Cyriac, who is contesting from
Kothamangalam, because he played a role in ameliorating the condition of farmers in
his capacity as chairman of the Rubber Board and later as president of Infam.
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Another Church-backed body, the Madhya Virudha Samithi, floated by the
Temperance Commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council to spearhead the
struggle against liquor, has backed the UDF.
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Samithi secretary Father TJ Antony said that the LDF’s refusal to take a stand on
Prohibition is viewed as a ruse to reopen bars if the LDF is voted to power. “Though
there are many deficiencies in the UDF policy, we cannot keep our eyes closed to the
fact that it has brought down consumption of hard liquor in the state,” Antony told
Scroll.in. “This has brought peace to several families. We do not want this to be
disturbed by voting for those who are trying to reopen bars.”
Antony added that the Samithi wouldn’t have been opposed to the LDF if it had made
it clear that it would not reopen bars. “Instead, they say that they will implement
phased prohibition by way of abstinence,” said Antony. “We do not think this is
pragmatic. We have been trying to create awareness against the ill-effects of alcohol
for several decades, but it has not brought down liquor consumption.”
The Samithi’s backing is good news for the UDF, which has been losing its sway over
Christians in the state with the LDF making inroads into this votebank over the years.
Christians had initially been wary of the LDF because of its professed atheism.
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However, with past Communist governments making no attempt to impose their
atheism on Christians – and even participating in Church activities – large sections of
the Christian population started shifting political allegiance to the Left.
Minorities consolidation
This development forced the Church to stop its practice of openly directing its
followers to vote for the UDF. Previously, Bishops issued pastoral letters in favour of
the UDF. But these appeals have now been replaced by general guidelines without any
reference to specific parties or candidates.
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But political observers say that the Church is still inclined to support the UDF. “The
Church in Kerala is not guided by any ideology,” said writer and political
commentator NM Pearson. “It will support those who protect its interests. It
apparently considers the Congress as the best protector of its interests.”
This is possibly because, apart from faith, the Church has a huge stake in commercial
activities such as education and health. In this, it does not expect much support from
an LDF government, which has fought against the commercialisation of both these
sectors.
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The support of Christians is all the more important for the UDF as the Bharatiya
Janata Party has attempted a Hindu consolidation by forging alliances with several
Hindu organisations. The party’s electoral understanding with the Sree Narayana
Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a powerful organisation of the Ezhavas – the largest
Hindu group in Kerala – in local body elections saw the UDF losing one third of the
local bodies.
The UDF is apparently trying to consolidate minorities to offset the loss of Hindu
votes. But while the Indian Union Muslim League is expected to hold Muslims
together, the UDF is doubtful about Christians since the Francis George-headed
section of the Kerala Congress – a regional party backed by the Church that is a major
player in the Christian belt – has switched over to the LDF.
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The Christian belt comprises major chunks of Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam
and Pathanamthitta districts, and winning here is considered crucial to attain power
in the state. For instance, the LDF secured 29 of the 42 seats in these five districts in
2006, when it formed the government. Similarly, the UDF won 26 seats in these
districts in 2011, when it won the state elections.
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The UDF fears that the bar bribery allegations against Kerala Congress (M) leader KM
Mani may affect its prospects in this belt. Battling a slew of other scandals in the run
up to the May 16 election, it is therefore trying to push its Prohibition agenda hard. It
hopes that the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council directive will help it improve its
position in the Christian belt, and eventually help it retain power.
However, Father Francis Xavier, deputy secretary of the Kerala Regional Latin
Catholic Council, said the UDF shouldn’t assume that the Church will support it for its
Prohibition policy alone. The track record of candidates also matters, he said.
“Prohibition is only one of the issues cited by the Church,” said Francis. “There are
other things that concern us. The faithful will take their decision taking into account
all this. We are leaving the choice to their conscience.”
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Kerala Elections May 16 Polls Kerala Prohibition UDF LDF Congress Left Front
Christian Votebank Prohibition
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Around the end of August in Punjab’s Chatha Nanhera village, samples from two
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1837 watercolour of three 'Thugs' strangling a traveller | Anonymous Indian artist / Public Domain
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Set in the tumultuous years of the late 1820s and 1830s, Siddhartha Sarma’s latest
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It is some seven months since the pandemic began to lock up my life in unforeseen
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which killed some 50 million people but was a disease event that came to be described
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Four years ago, as the last American presidential elections were being held, I was
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traditional bias in favour of Pakistan towards a position more congenial to the
interests of India.
The talk of Strobe Talbott’s that I was scheduled to chair was to be held in the third
week of November 2016. By then the presidential elections would be over. Hillary
Clinton was the favourite to win. In the event she lost and, instead of coming to
Bengaluru in a mood of jubilant anticipation, Talbott arrived looking (and feeling)
utterly crushed. In our conversation before the talk he spoke bitterly about the fact
that a pathological liar had befooled the American electorate. I agreed with Talbott
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Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin and other potentially addictive
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But the settlement is subject to the approval of the federal judge overseeing Purdue’s
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One common claim by United States President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign
has been that his administration beat IS, or what’s formally known as the Islamic
State terrorist group.
It came up most recently in the vice presidential debate, when Mike Pence boasted,
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caliphate and took down their leader al-Baghdadi without one American casualty.”
Similar victory claims have been made by Trump himself dating back to October 2017
and include him saying, “We have done more against ISIS in nine months than the
previous administration has done during its whole administration – by far, by far.”
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