Kerala’s Cultural Affairs Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Saji Cherian came down heavily on Christian bishops for not raising the issue of Manipur violence, during the Christmas programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi.
On the occasion of Christmas, PM Modi had interacted with bishops from various denominations and said that he shares a “very old, very close and very warm” relation with the Christian community. The PM’s Christmas interaction comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to get closer with the Christian community in Kerala. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, BJP’s Kerala unit has even begun a ‘sneha yatra’ (journey of love), where they will be visiting Christian homes and interacting with them.
Speaking at a CPI(M) event in Kerala’s Alappuzha district on Sunday, December 31, Saji Cherian, in a mocking manner, said that some of the bishops get ‘goosebumps’ whenever they get an opportunity to share a venue with PM Modi. “The bishops who went to meet PM Modi in Delhi did not have the courage to speak about Manipur. When they were having the grapes and cakes served by the BJP, the Bishops forgot the violence in Manipur and it was not at all a subject of discussion for them,” said the Kerala Minister.
Reacting to Saji Cherian’s criticism, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), on Monday, said that the comments made by the Minister were ‘inappropriate’ and that he should have used words that were befitting to his position. Addressing the media, KCBC spokesperson Fr Jacob Palackappily said that the Minister has the right to criticise but he should have used decent language. “The Minister should think whether the bishops are the kind of people who would get excited when they take wine,” said Palackappily.
This comes just days after the KCBC lashed out at former Minister and CPI(M) backed legislator KT Jaleel, who had criticised the Christmas celebrations of the KCBC, which was attended by leaders of the BJP and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Speaking about the participation of BJP leader K Surendran and IUML leader Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal at the Christmas function, Jaleel had said, “We have all seen BJP’s love for Christians in Manipur. How many churches did they burn? Also, If Thangal gets the invitation to attend the consecration of the Ayodhya temple, he will happily grab it and be there a day earlier for the event”.
KCBC reacted to this saying Jaleel’s words were an insult to the state society. “It is up to the church to decide who should be invited for their functions,” it said.
Pinarayi hits out at at BJP
Although not as a direct reference to Saji Cherian’s statements, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on January 1, while addressing the media, during the Nava Kerala Sadas in Ernakulam, said that the BJP’s Christmas outreach programme is solely driven by electoral motives. The Kerala CM said that those that supported atrocities against Christians in Manipur are now trying to establish links with the same community.
Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the same attitude adopted by Israel towards Palestine is being used by the Sangh Parivar against Christians in Manipur. “But now, they (Sangh Parivar) remembered about votes. So the highly ranked persons in the party who did not utter a word about Manipur are coming with friendly strategies,” said the Kerala CM.