THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM’s timely intervention prompts min to withraw certain remarks, saves party from embarassing situation ahead of LS polls . CM Pinarayi reportedly asks Cherian to settle issue after bishops’ council threatens govt of non-cooperation
It was a close call for Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, after his remarks against the bishops who had participated in a Christmas luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi sparked a controversy. If his controversial remarks on the Constitution had cost him his cabinet berth in 2022, this time around the CPM leadership sensed trouble and made a timely intervention, prompting the minister to withdraw certain remarks. The minister too realised his goof up and chose to settle the issue at the earliest, and save the government from a potentially embarrassing situation prior to the Lok Sabha elections.
The CPM is of the view that the Sangh Parivar’s attempts to woo the Christian minorities, and the way the Church leaders have been responding to it, need to be exposed. Hence, the party is happy that the issue has become a point of discussion. However, the party does not support the remarks made by Cherian. The CPM feels that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was successful in bringing the issue out in the right sense.
The silent tussle between the Church and the CPM over BJP’s outreach programme for the Christian community has reached a boiling point with the minister’s remarks. As far as the CPM is concerned, Cherian’s criticism and linking of BJP’s Christian outreach programme with the Manipur carnage was well within the limit of the party line.
However, it was his loose talk in between the relevant criticism that had derailed the ‘good intention’ . A senior CPM leader told TNIE, “The LDF, the CPM in particular, is unhappy with the way in which Catholic Church heads are responding to the Sangh Parivar’s communal politics. On their part, the Church was also feeling the heat and was preparing for an offensive. CPM’s displeasure first came out in the form of K T Jaleel’s statement against Church leaders sharing the stage with BJP leaders. At that time, the Church had expressed displeasure. Though there was some attempt to paint Jaleel’s statement in a communal angle from Sangh Parivar centres, the CPM did not respond. Even CM Pinarayi Vijayan had said that ‘some prominent figures’ are solely driven by electoral motives.”
In the latest incident, Saji Cherian and the CPM leadership tried to withstand pressure from the Catholic Church and the BJP.
However, alarm bells rang when the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council president, Archbishop Mar Baselios Cleemis, threatened the government with non-cooperation. Pinarayi, who has been keeping good relations with Church heads, and CPM state secretary M V Govindan reportedly told Cherian to settle the issue and save the government’s face.
“However, Cherian, in his press conference, stood firm on what he had said about the Manipur violence. This means that the CPM is not ready to cave in to the Church-Sangh Parivar pressure. We will continue to highlight BJP’s intention. Cherian has brought the real issue to the notice of the common people within the community,” the CPM leader pointed out.
CPM BACKS CHERIAN BUT DISOWNS STATEMENT
The CPM is of the view that the Sangh Parivar’s attempts to woo the Christian minorities, and the way the Church leaders have been responding to it, need to be exposed. Hence, the party is happy that the issue has become a point of discussion. However, the party does not support the remarks made by Cherian. The CPM feels that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was successful in bringing the issue out in the right sense.