Kerala: Political storm over Church Bishop’s statement in Kerala ‘….then we will vote for BJP’

In Kerala, the statement given by an Arch Bishop in support of BJP has created a political uproar. The Bishop has said that the BJP is not an untouchable for the Church. If he solves the problems of the farmers, they will vote for him.

India

oi-Anjan Kumar Chaudhary

Updated: Sunday, March 19, 2023, 21:40 [IST]

A statement by Mar Joseph Pamplaini, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church at Thalassery in North Kerala, has created a storm in the politics of the state. He has criticized the ruling communist alliance in Kerala and even the Congress. The controversy is happening because he has said that people who believe in the church will help the Bharatiya Janata Party to elect the first MP in the state. He has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not untouchable in any way for the Church. His statement given in support of BJP has badly shaken the Congress and CPM. It has been criticized from the Congress even at the national level.

Will vote for BJP if farmers’ problems are resolved – Arch Bishop
Addressing a gathering of Catholic farmers in north Kerala on Sunday, Archbishop Mar Joseph Pampelanyi has said that there is no need to keep the ruling party away from the Church, reports HT. He said, ‘The Church has no hatred or untouchable attitude towards the BJP. After all it is the ruling party of the country. If the problems of the farmers are resolved then we will vote for BJP. The price of natural rubber there is currently between Rs 130 to Rs 150 and they want the central government to increase it to Rs 300 per kg.

‘So the church will help the BJP elect its MP from the state’
The bishop has said, “If the central government increases the price of rubber, naturally the church will help the BJP elect a Member of Parliament from the state.” He claimed that the church generally does not support any party, but would support anyone in the central or state government who stood by the farmers. However, he also clarified that this should not be understood as an alliance between the BJP and the Church. He said that rubber farmers live in the hilly areas of the state, where they have to face wild animals. On the other hand, its low price in the state has made their life miserable.

Have you forgotten the attack on Church and priests in North India?- Congress
The Congress is not able to digest the statement given by the bishop on behalf of the Church. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal criticized him, saying, “The bishop seems to have forgotten the attack on churches and priests in North Indian states.” We do not know in what context he has given such a statement. In the same state, the local self-government minister MB Rajesh said, ‘No one will keep a chicken with a fox. How can the Church support the supporters of Hindu Rashtra?’

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We welcome the statement of the bishop – BJP
But, the BJP has appreciated the statement of the bishop. BJP state president K Surendran said, ‘We welcome his statement. The party has got a big victory in the Christian-majority states of the North-East and we hope to see the same in Kerala. Along with this, he said that the party will take the problem of rubber farmers to the central government. Surendran also criticized the Congress and the CPM for instilling a “sense of fear” among the minority communities just to keep them as vote-banks. (Photo courtesy of Mar Joseph Pamplaini- Shashi Tharoor’s Twitter handle)