Kerala Congress (M) president Jose K. Mani on Friday invited the PJ Joseph-led Kerala Congress to join the Left Democratic Front (LDF) if the party faced problems under the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Responding to reporters’ queries on the seat-sharing talks between the Kerala Congress and other UDF allies, which have yet to reach a consensus, Mr. Mani said the LDF could offer “protection” to the party.
“You all know that both sides are of the same blood. We have united before, but because of that we had to experience hardships. If they have problems there, we can give them protection,” he said.
Kerala Congress (M) and Kerala Congress merged in 2010 but split after KM Mani died in 2020. Subsequently, the Kerala Congress (M), which was part of the UDF, shifted its allegiance to the LDF.
Mr. Mani ruled out any further merger between the two parties. “We can offer protection, not fusion,” he said.
He said the Kerala Congress leaders may reject the offer.
“It is their decision. But they should be careful if they stay in the UDF,” he said.
Mr. Mani alleged that the Kerala Congress was facing internal problems within the UDF. “I know they have problems there. I believe it’s the same problem that arose after the earlier merger of the two parties,” he said.
He also claimed that 96% of the promises made in the LDF’s election manifesto have been fulfilled.
Mr. Mani said he would attend the LDF statewide rally to highlight the government’s development initiatives and ensure its return to power.
He said the state government had done its best for farmers, especially in dealing with crop prices and human-wildlife conflict, but noted that several issues were related to national policies and laws.
Support for rubber farmers
“Even if the state government increases the support price of rubber, the final decision remains with the Union government which formulates the policy. It needs to be examined whether the policies are designed to support farmers or businesses,” he said.
He said it would only take a minute for the Center to raise rubber prices by increasing the import duty.
“But the Center is not ready for this. In the last five years, the Union government has collected around ₹ 7,000 crore as import duty. This amount represents farmers’ sweat and even a small part of it can be used to increase the price of rubber,” he said.
Mr. Mani also said that a discussion would soon take place on the publication of the JB Koshy Commission report, which was commissioned to study the educational, economic and social issues of the Christian communities in Kerala.
Published – 06 Feb 2026 20:52 IST
