Cong must take over edu & minority portfolios in Kerala cabinet: Catholic Congress

Kozhikode: Catholic Congress has demanded that Congress take over the education and minority welfare portfolios in the new UDF govt. Catholic Congress global president Rajeev Kochuparambil and global director Fr Philip Kaviyil said that the promises made during the election period must be honoured and that the govt should ensure equal justice to all sections without surrendering to pressure. The organization said that even after the education department was split into two, attempts by certain groups to monopolise it were condemnable. Kerala today requires an education system and a department with long-term vision, they said. Kochuparambil and Fr Kaviyil pointed out that the far-sighted initiatives once undertaken by the Christian community had played a major role in Kerala's renaissance and Kerala model development and added that attempts should not be made to completely erase that contribution. They said that at a time when Kerala's education sector is seeking innovation, modernity and reforms, there should be changes in those governing the sector as well. The practice of political parties treating departments as their private property cannot be accepted. The long-standing neglect related to the minority affairs department must also be corrected.The Catholic Congress warned that if broadly acceptable arrangements are not made in the education and minority affairs departments, it would launch strong protests.