KOTTAYAM: In a swift political move, the Congress has taken the initiative to address the issues created by the ‘love jihad and narcotic jihad’ remarks of Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt. Putting the LDF and state government in a spot, Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan on Thursday visited various Christian and Muslim leaders as part of finding an amicable resolution to the issues raised by the Pala bishop.
With the move, Congress not only aims to expose the government’s failure in addressing the concerns of the Church and ensuing controversies but also to scuttle BJP’s attempt to cash in on the opportunity to make inroads into the Christian vote base.
Sudhakaran and Satheesan visited jointly Changanassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Perumthottam in the morning and Kerala Muslim Youth Federation president and Thazhathangadi Juma Masjid imam Shamsuddeen Mannani Ilavupalam in the afternoon and held discussions.
In the afternoon, Sudhakaran visited Mar Kallarangatt at Pala, while Satheesan met CSI Central Kerala diocese Bishop Dr Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian in Kottayam. Though Sudhakaran said the visits were not part of finding a consensus on the issues raised by the Pala bishop, the party’s intention was clear.
“We had twice demanded the government to convene a reconciliation meeting and resolve the issues. However, the chief minister ignored the demand. Hence, we have take the initiative to protect secularism and communal harmony, which is the responsibility of the Congress. With this objective, we met various religious heads. We are trying to find a resolution to the issues,” he said.
Earlier speaking after visiting the Changanassery archbishop, Sudhakaran accused the government of not initiating steps for arriving at a consensus in the matter. The Congress leadership has decided to visit religious heads taking moral responsibility to settle the issues and the leaders have responded positively to the initiatives, he added.
League not against talks on remarks: Kunhalikutty
Kochi: Muslim League does not want to blame anybody for the row over remarks made by Pala Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt, said party national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty. We should not destroy the social harmony by discussing such issues, he told mediapersons in Kochi.