KOTTAYAM: The ‘love jihad’ and ‘narcotic jihad’ remarks of Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt have opened a Pandora’s box as more people including community and religious heads have joined the debate on the issue.
At the same time, after the initial discussions of communal divide over the remarks, the issue raised by the bishop is slowly snowballing into a political conundrum for the LDF and state government, putting pressure on the ruling coalition to make its stance on the matter clear. With BJP trying to use the opportunity to make inroads into Christian vote base, UDF leaders, who had earlier come down heavily on the bishop, also switched their stance and demanded the government to discuss the issues raised by the Catholic Church.
Unlike Sabarimala, BJP has taken a tactical stance on the ‘narcotic jihad’ issue by calling for a detailed probe and more discussions on the matter. BJP state president K Surendran made it clear that the party didn’t want to make political gain out of it. “Issues raised by the bishop should be discussed without prejudice. Discussions are essential to avoid any divide between Christian and Muslim communities. At the same time, we also demand a detailed probe into the issues,” Surendran said in Kottayam.
Surendran, who said the concerns raised by the bishop are a reality, added that there is ample evidence for ‘narcotic jihad’ and extremist organisations across the world maintaining a nexus with the drug mafia. Extending support to the Church, senior BJP leaders P K Krishnadas and A N Radhakrishnan visited Bishop Kallarangatt at the bishop’s house on Monday. After the visit, Krishnadas said the issues raised by the bishop would be brought to the Centre’s notice.
The Catholic Church continued to throw its weight behind Bishop Kallarangatt with Changanassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Perumthottam criticising a section of political leaders and media. In an article in Deepika daily, Mar Perumthottam made it clear that the Church can’t keep silent against the regressive forces.
In his article, he said ‘narcotic terrorism’ has been widely discussed on international platforms though the term is new in the context of Kerala. “With Taliban conquering Afghanistan, chances are high for Kerala to become a hub of drug trafficking. Frequent incidents of drug seizure point to this. Extremists use drugs for sexual and financial exploitation. Love jihad and narcotic jihad go together,” he said.
“Those in the public sphere should come for discussion with their minds open to the concerns being raised by Christian minorities. At the same time, political parties and media should change their biased stance in this matter,” he said, adding that community and religious heads, politicians, cultural persons and media persons should work together against the regressive forces.
BISHOP RAISED HIS CONCERN, SAYS SREEDHARAN PILLAI
Kozhikode: Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai said Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, who sparked a controversy with his ‘Narcotic jihad’ remark, had raised his concern. “I spoke to the bishop after his remarks came. I don’t think he has any bad intention in saying that. He raised his concern,” Pillai told reporters on Monday.
Let communal harmony prevail: Mar Gregorios
Kochi: In the wake of heated discussions triggered by the remarks of the Pala Bishop, the Jacobite Syrian Church on Monday called for communal harmony and an end to the controversies.
“Controversies harming communal harmony and brotherhood in Kerala should come to an end,” said Metropolitan trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Church Joseph Mar Gregorios in a statement. The statement did not cite the bishop's remarks or the issue. “It is the responsibility of leaders having authority to guide their people on the right path.
They should not be prevented from doing so. The beliefs and practices of other religions should not be questioned. Some wrong practices exist in society. Wrongs should be corrected by understanding the realities, studying the truth and dissecting the wrongs. No one should take to the streets instead and enter into mudslinging,” said the statement.
It said a leadership that can prudently study matters and make people understand is what all religions should have. “They have a duty to ensure that their approach does not create any difficulties for others even as they stick to their beliefs,” he said.