KOCHI: The Catholic Church on Monday launched a scathing attack against Minister for Culture Saji Cherian for his remarks criticising the bishops who attended the prime minister’s Christmas luncheon. Coming as it did ahead of Narendra Modi’s visit to Kerala, the BJP has smelt a political opportunity.
Even as BJP leaders rejected rumours that the PM may meet Christian leaders during his visit to Thrissur on Wednesday, Modi is expected to address the community’s concerns in his speech.
Reacting to Saji Cherian’s criticism, Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) deputy secretary general and spokesperson Fr Jacob G Palakkappilly said the minister’s statements were irresponsible and inappropriate. “People holding important positions should be careful while issuing statements,” he said.
“The prime minister had invited Church leaders for lunch on the occasion of Christmas and we are not politicians to turn down the invite. We don’t have any politics but we can understand the political intentions of parties, whether it is the Left, the Congress or the BJP. It was the first time Modi had invited Christian leaders for lunch and we accepted it as the PM invited us,” said Fr Palakkappilly.
Inaugurating the local committee office of the CPM at Punnapra in Alappuzha on Sunday, Saji Cherian had said that some bishops had goosebumps when they received invites from PM for the party. He said the bishops forgot the sufferings of the people of Manipur while having wine and cake offered by the BJP.
Regarding the visit of BJP leaders to Christian homes and institutions as part of ‘Sneha Yatra’, a Christian outreach programme, Fr Palakkappilly said the Church understands the political intentions of all parties. “The BJP had organised a similar programme during Christmas and Easter last year also. We accept all visitors, but that doesn’t mean we accept their politics. The KCBC had organised a Christmas party in December in which leaders of all political parties, including BJP and Muslim League, had participated,” he said.
Minister Saji Cherian’s statements reveal communists’ indecency: Surendran
“Former minister K T Jaleel had criticised the Church for inviting BJP leaders to the programme. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam had also criticised the bishops for attending PM’s Christmas lunch,” said Palakkappilly.“We can see a similarity in the choice of words used by the leaders of the ruling dispensation. I suspect they have a separate dictionary for the purpose. We don’t expect such derogatory statements from a minister who is in charge of the department of culture,” he said.
Fr Palakkappilly said the KCBC and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) had raised the concern of the Christian community about the Manipur riots with the PM and the government at the appropriate time. Attending a Christmas party doesn’t undermine our concerns about the challenges faced by the Church, he said.
Responding to Saji Cherian’s comments, BJP state president K Surendran said the minister’s statement revealed the intolerance and indecency of the Communists. “The comments reveal the low level they have stooped to. The leaders should be able to keep the decorum of the position they hold. We don’t have any political intention in holding ‘Sneha Yatra’, which we had organised last year also. The Yatra was intended to greet them on the occasion of Christmas,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh who arrived in Kozhikode to attend a seminar, held discussions with senior leaders about the Christian outreach programme and the feedback received from the community. Union minister for state V Muraleedharan said the statement issued by Saji Cherian was disgraceful for the state. “Saji Cherian might have felt that he would get a better portfolio if he insulted others,” he said.
Saji Cherian attacked bishops for CM
Criticising Minister Saji Cherian’s verbal attack on bishops, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Monday said that these remarks were made with the knowledge of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Speaking to reporters in Kottayam, Satheesan accused the CPM of employing individuals to defame those they dislike.
“In the past, there was a practice where individuals were incentivised to tarnish the reputation of respectable people. Some ministers have been given the same task,” he said. Satheesan strongly condemned Cherian’s comments, emphasising that if there was a difference of opinion, it should be expressed respectfully.