THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor may be gaining admirers across the state. However, it seems he has lost a crucial section of the mass base in his own constituency. His open support to the Vizhinjam seaport construction could prove costly for the Thiruvananthapuram MP as the Latin Catholic Archdiocese, a consistent vote bank of his, has urged various Church factions to join hands against him.
The archdiocese, which is spearheading the anti-port protest, is learnt to have communicated its displeasure with Tharoor to other Catholic Church heads, including those whom Tharoor had met during his recent Malabar tour.
The archdiocese has alleged that Tharoor’s support to the port’s construction has put it in a spot. It is learnt that the Vizhinjam issue and the ongoing protest, will be taken up in the meeting of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council on Sunday.
‘MP’s stand against coastal community’
The issue will also be discussed prominently at another meeting scheduled next week. The meetings gain significance in view of the violence and the police action against the agitators at Vizhinjam.Fr Eugine H Pereira, vicar general of the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Archdiocese and general convenor of the protest, said Tharoor’s stand was against the interest of the coastal community, which had stood like a rock behind him in the last three Lok Sabha elections.
“We have already informed various Church heads of Tharoor’s current position,” he said. Tharoor, during his four-day Malabar tour last week, had met Catholic Church heads, including Bishop Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil of Syro-Malabar Church, Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of Roman Catholic Diocese and Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of the Syro Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thalassery. Upon his return to the state capital, he had visited Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis of Syro-Malabar Church.
Even when the state Congress leadership declared their support to the protest, Tharoor sided with the pro-port movement. His firm backing of the project prevented the Congress from openly declaring solidarity with the protest by the fisherfolk community.
Earlier, when Latin Archdiocese representatives, including Fr Pereira and other protest committee members, met Rahul Gandhi during the Congress leader’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in September to persuade him to take a stand against the port’s construction, Tharoor had stood in the way.
During the meeting, Rahul sought the opinion of senior leaders, including Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal. While the trio supported the Latin Church, Tharoor said Congress should not ignore the feelings of a large section of society who wanted the port to be realised. However, he had maintained that the fishermen’s concerns need to be addressed. Irked, one of the agitators had even questioned Tharoor’s integrity in Rahul’s presence, while another threatened him with dire consequences.
The fishermen protest committee feels Tharoor’s stand against their stir prevented Rahul from making up his mind. Though Rahul told the Kerala leaders to reach a consensus and inform him later, nothing happened.