THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State secretary M V Govindan is facing criticism from within the CPM leadership for his remarks against Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany. Govindan had accused Bishop Pamplany of opportunism, and praising Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the two arrested nuns were granted bail in Chhattisgarh. The CPM secretary reportedly termed the Archbishop as ‘someone who is very opportunist’. The Syro Malabar Church retaliated in strong words and asked him not to speak like Govindachamy, a life sentence convict.
Sources in the CPM told TNIE that Govindan faced criticism in the party forum for his unwanted remark. Leaders are of the opinion that Govindan’s intervention was untimely as it only helped lose the credit it earned through party’s intervention after the arrest of the nuns.
“We have to be careful while expressing our position in public,” a national leader from the party centre in Delhi told TNIE. “As a public servant, every word from us is being scrutinised especially if we are from the Left or CPM. This was unfortunate and unwanted,” he said.
CPM MPs John Brittas and A A Rahim were in Chhattisgarh with other opposition leaders till the nuns were granted bail. It was following the party’s instruction that Brittas and Rahim went to Chhattisgarh. They, along with other LDF MPs, met Amit Shah.
“Through this intervention, CPM could successfully uphold secular principles and declare a position on minority protection,” a CPM MLA said. “The church took these actions in good faith as it was visible in their statements. However, all these went in vain,” he added.
With local body and assembly elections to be held soon, there is criticism in the organisation for allegedly allowing a favourable situation to slip away. According to leaders, the silent approval given to the DYFI leaders to attack a church head has now placed the whole episode in an uneven level.
The church authorities later came out with a video clip of Archbishop Pamplany in which he was seen expressing gratitude to the prime minister, home minister and at the same time demanding the Union government not to repeat such persecution, and end the case registered against the nuns.
There is also apprehension among Kerala Congress (M) about the political implication of the tussle between CPM and the church in central Kerala. “It has to be noted that the Congress did not respond,” an upset KCM office-bearer told TNIE. “Here the church was the victim. Yet Govindan questioned it in a do-or-die situation. Thereby he has given the BJP a chance to get closer to the church,” he said.
This is not the first time Govindan has put the CPM in a tight spot. In June 2025, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had to correct the state secretary after the latter said that CPM and RSS had come together against the then PM Indira Gandhi during Emergency. Pinarayi had clarified that there was no links between the RSS and CPM during Emergency.