Kerala: Church wants forest minister to step down
KOCHI : Stressing the need for serious intervention from the part of the government to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, Syro Malabar Church, Thalassery, archdiocese pastoral coordinator Fr Philip Kaviyil said Forest minister A K Saseendran should step down if he is having serious health issues.
“Human-wildlife conflict is a serious issue, and the government needs to address it with priority. Around 100 people have died in wild animal attacks in a year, and most of them belong to the Christian community. Irrespective of religion, such incidents are unfortunate, and we stand with the farmers who are living in fear. It is said that the minister has some serious health issues. If true, he should hand over the mantle to someone else. The party has another MLA, and the government should consider a change of guard in the interest of the people,” he said.
Fr Philip said the Church will not favour any political party or candidate. However, he urged the faithful to cast their vote judiciously. “We should elect those concerned about our problems and who assures to raise them in the Parliament,” he said.