UDF 'using' Church to win back minorities: CPM

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 16 (UNI) Criticising the Opposition United Democratic Front(UDF) and a section of the Church in connection with the controversy over the Last Sacrament 'administered' to late party leader Mathai Chacko, MLA, the CPI (M) today alleged that the Thamarassery Bishop was trying to become a ''political messenger'' of the UDF and the Front was using the church to recapture minority votes.

''A lot of changes have come around in Kerala politics after 2001.

The UDF has lost its base among the minority communities. It was trying to use a section of the Church to raise unnecessary controversies against the Left Front,'' party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

Thamarassery Bishop Paul Chittilappalli raked up the controversy ''unnecessarily'' at a rally organised on September eight as part of the Minorities Protection rally. ''Even when there was no need for raking up the issue, the Bishop raised the issue at the rally. '' ''Administration of the Sacrament was not linked to the minority issue and it was raised untimely. It showed that the Bishop was trying to spearhead a political campaign of the UDF,'' he alleged.

''Chacko was a true Communist till his last breath and when such false statements are raised against a comrade, the Communists could not remain silent. The party felt that a true Marxist had been defamed by raising such an unnecessary issue,'' Mr Vijayan said.

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