: Ties between the Congress and the Kerala Congress (M), a major constituent of the United Democratic Front (UDF), have come under strain in recent days, leaving an impact on the State administration, which is trying to stave off a financial crisis.
Kerala Congress (M) leader and Finance Minister K.M. Mani’s statement in an interview to a private television channel on Sunday that his party was not averse to holding parleys with like-minded parties to seek a common political platform and that his party was not getting its due in the coalition created a flutter that reflected the sensitive frequency that the leaders of the two UDF constituents were on.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy sought to underplay the issue by stating that Mr. Mani’s KC(M) was an inseparable part of the UDF. CPI(M) leader and former Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac promptly reacted to Mr. Mani’s statement. KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran went on to find fault with the CPI (M) for making attempts to woo UDF constituents. As the debate hotted up, Mr. Mani came out with a clarification later in the day asserting that the view he had expressed earlier in the day was a consistent one.
There is nothing new in the Congress and the Kerala Congress (M) tussle. The leaders of the two parties have never concealed their differences, whether it related to seat-sharing during elections or sharing of office under the coalition system. However, the reason for the current freeze in ties between the two parties appears to be related to the events leading to the announcement of the UDF government’s liquor policy. After advocating renewal of liquor bar licences with certain conditions, Mr. Mani’s sudden U-turn in support of prohibition and abstinence has not been taken kindly by the Chief Minister. According to sources close to Mr. Chandy, Mr. Mani had let down the Chief Minister by shifting his stand without discussions with coalition partners.
The Chief Minister was forced to take a harsh decision on the liquor policy and the subsequent tax proposals in the middle of the current financial year, when it became clear that he would not have the support of the UDF parties. In this context, the irritants will continue to trouble the relations between the two parties, it is pointed out.