Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala water resources minister Mathew T Thomas has categorically rejected allegations of being a communalist, who climbed the political ladder up with blessings of religious forces. Thomas said he never had any "unholy nexus" with any religious or political leaders in his career. "Nor do I go after such people or use pressure tactics," Thomas said.
In a Facebook post, the minister, who belongs to the Janata Dal (Secular), said it was wrong to assume that all those who offer prayers at temples or churches or mosques were communal.
Thomas was reacting to the controversy triggered by some of his fellow party members who accused him of being communal. A call for his resignation over alleged poor performance has also been in the air for a few days. He said many people were suffering from a disability to differentiate between faith and fanaticism.
"I am a believer and the son of a Christian priest. I'm not ready to reject my belief and my father to proclaim to be secular. Being a believer, I was influenced by virtues and values such as love, justice, equality and humanity. The Leftist movements can uphold such values politically. I don't have any other concern in politics than that," he said.
He claimed he could resist the pressure tactics and wrong intentions of organised religious forces.
PA sacked
Meanwhile, a personal employee of Janata Dal (S) president K Krishnankutty was removed from the post on Thursday for calling Thomas a religious fanatic. T T Arun made the allegation in a WhatsApp post which was shared in a group of the party state committee. Arun had deleted the post after it snowballed into a controversy.
Krishnankutty said it was not proper for a government employee to make such allegations against a minister. Arun is likely to face a police case and departmental inquiry since he is a goovernment employee.
Meanwhile, the Krishnankutty faction of the party is learnt to have decided to keep the discussion over removing Thomas from the cabinet alive. A decision on the issue has been left to the party's central leadership. The raging factionalism in the party, if not settled amicably, will prove to be a headache for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front.
