Clerically ignited furore continues unabated in Kerala
KOZHIKODE/KANNUR : The uproar triggered by Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany was further amplified on Monday with his fellow prelate Remigiose Inchananiyil of Thamarassery coming out openly in support of him.
Meanwhile, visuals have emerged of a meeting between Pamplany and local BJP leaders days before the bishop made the controversial remarks.
Pamplany had said on Saturday that if the Union government raised the price of rubber to Rs 300 per kg, the BJP’s seat drought in the state would come to an end, implying the rubber farmers, the majority of whom hail from the Christian community, would help the saffron party win seats in Kerala.
Bishop Inchananiyil said he will support any political party that tries to address their concerns. What is important is whether the BJP will consider the farmers, he said.
Not stand of entire Christian community, says Govindan
Bishop Inchananiyil said successive governments led by Congress and the CPM have neglected the farmers’ cause. “And now the question is whether the BJP will consider the concerns of farmers,” he told reporters. “No government wants to support farmers as they are not an organised force...Whoever comes in our favour will receive our support,” he said. He also criticised the state government for not intervening to save the farmers from wild animal attacks.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the opinion of one individual does not reflect the stand of the entire Christian community. “The BJP government has unleashed violence against Christians across the country. A group of 79 Christian organisations had organised a protest against the Union government in New Delhi. They submitted complaints regarding 598 incidents of atrocities against the community. Will the community forget these incidents if the BJP government increases the procurement price of rubber?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State and senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan accused the LDF and the UDF of trying to intimidate the bishop. The Union budget has proposed to increase the import duty on compounded rubber. The government will take an appropriate decision of fixing the procurement price, he said.
On allegations of attack on Christians, he said the incident happened not in a BJP-ruled state, but in Chhattisgarh. Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India president Mar Andrews Thazhath, he said, “While Congress is trying to portray Modi ji as anti-minorities, his acceptance has increased among all communities.”
Meanwhile, visuals of BJP Kannur district president N Haridas and other party leaders meeting Pamplany have surfaced. Haridas said they met the bishop on March 14 to invite him to the Minority Morcha Convention scheduled to be held in Kannur. “We invited him and naturally, other prickly issues also were discussed,” he added.