KOTTAYAM: The feud between the factions led by PJ Joseph and Jose K Mani in the Kerala Congress (M) continues to disturb the UDF even after it formally launched its election campaign for Pala by-election. In the latest development, an editorial published in the KC(M) mouthpiece ‘Prathichaya’ indirectly depicted Joseph in a bad light, which escalated the infighting further.
The article, which praised the political reckoning and shrewdness shown by Jose in the candidate selection, also launched a scathing attack against Joseph and his team. Without mentioning the name of anyone, the article stated “some leaders were destined to become fools by acting like scarecrows and becoming a bad omen”.
According to the article, Jose had issued clear directions to party members that the candidate should not be from K M Mani’s family, which not only stunned rivals but also made them desperate.
While Jose disowned contents in the article, Joseph came out heavily against Jose stating the article was published with the knowledge of the latter. Speaking to reporters, Jose said the article was not the stand of his party. “The article didn’t mention any person in particular. If there was any intention to dishonour anybody through the article, we will definitely seek clarification from the writer,” Jose said.
Meanwhile, Joseph said everyone knew who was speaking through the article. “Jose doesn’t show the maturity and prudence of K M Mani. He should think whether such moves auger well for the UDF in the by-election.”
“I don’t consider ‘Prathichaya’ as the mouthpiece of KC(M). But, everyone knows the article was published with the knowledge of Jose,” Joseph said.