THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOCHI: The controversy sparked by the ‘love and narcotic jihad’ remark of Pala Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt took a new turn on Sunday with the BJP state leadership urging the Union government’s intervention and seeking a new law to tackle the issue. Meanwhile, Congress maintained that the issue of liquor and drug mafia should not be foisted on a certain religious community.
BJP state general secretary George Kurian on Sunday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding protection for the bishop in the wake of protests by Muslim organisations. “The bishop urged parents to be cautious and quoted former police chief Loknath Behera who said recently that Kerala is becoming the recruitment hub of terrorist organisations. The bishop’s statement is a reflection of the insecurity among Christians and Hindus,” Kurian said in his letter to Shah.
In Delhi, BJP spokesman Tom Vadakkan went a step further and asked the Centre to bring a law to deal with “narco-terrorism and love jihad”. “The intervention by Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt of Pala, Kerala, during sacred worship, is not just a wake-up call for his dioceses, but it is the voice of the community who are victims of love jihad and narco-terrorism,” Vadakkan said in a statement. Vadakkan alleged the Kerala government has not taken cognisance of the fact despite inputs from investigating agencies.
‘Cong not attacking bishop’
Tom Vadakkan said the bishop council has raised the issue following inputs from devotees of different churches alleging that young girls are lured and they fall prey to “love jihad” and “later end up in foreign jails”.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said his party was not attacking the bishop, but was only pointing out a mistake as the prevalence of liquor and drug mafia in the state should not be foisted upon a certain religious community.
“This is where Congress has a difference of opinion with the bishop’s remarks,” said Muraleedharan, who added the party wants neither any communal disharmony in the state nor the Sangh Parivar to gain a foothold here.
LETTER TO CENTRE