KOZHIKODE/KOCHI: Forest Minister A K Saseendran on Sunday launched a bitter tirade against the Church, accusing it of “using the dead (in wild gaur attacks) to bargain with the government.” However, the minister called the second press conference of the day within hours to tone down the rhetoric after the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) issued a strong refusal to his allegation.
On Saturday, KCBC president Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis had expressed his doubts on whether the government was taking the frequent wild animal attacks on the lives and properties of those living in the high ranges seriously. The bishop’s statement came in the wake of Friday’s wild gaur attacks in Kottayam and Kollam districts, which claimed three lives.
In his first press conference in Kozhikode, Saseendran accused the council of playing politics on the issue. The minister said it is not right to bargain or play with the emotions of the families of the deceased. “Such bargaining is not in line with the tradition of KCBC, which stands for peace and harmony,” he said.
Following the minister’s remarks, Mar Cleemis, in a statement, refuted the minister’s criticism and urged the state government to look into the issue of wild animal attacks with more seriousness and urgency. He said the council had reacted to the issue in all earnestness.
“There is a level of alertness that the authorities concerned have to display towards a serious issue affecting the public. Then, there is the freedom of speech that guarantees the general public the right to talk about the issues affecting society... I had issued the statement as president of the KCBC,” the cardinal said.
“How can unarmed people, especially those living near forests, deal with wildlife attacks?... No one should show impatience. The authorities concerned need not protest or express disquiet just because a demand has been raised with the state government,” said Mar Cleemis.
“No department or administrator should think that such comments can intimidate or silence those who speak impartially for the people. Instead, the authorities should be taking timely measures to save the lives of people,” he added.
Taking exception to the forest minister’s statement that the council has been trying to bargain with the government using the bodies of the deceased, a KCBC member said: “Neither the council nor the Catholic Church has the tradition of using the dead as bargaining chips.”
The farmers and the relative of the deceased may have used the mortal remains of the men to protest the government’s apathy in dealing with wildlife attacks, he said. Following KCBC’s response, Saseendran called a second press conference on Sunday and clarified that he did not threaten anyone, but was only trying to convey that playing with the emotions of the victims’ families was “unethical.”
“The essence of what I said (earlier in the day) was that people should not bargain by holding protests, as the government is ready to hear the pleas of the public,” he said.
He said he welcomes the bishop’s statement that the strike was not staged to put pressure on the government. “The government’s stand is that protests should be conducted without a conflict. Thanks for clarifying the KCBC’s stand,” he said.