Left, Congress treat Christian community only as ‘vote bank’ in Kerala: BJP
The Hindu
If the Centre promised to increase the price of rubber procurement to ₹300 per kilogram, BJP could finally get a Lok Sabha MP elected from the Kerala, Archbishop had said
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 20 blamed the ruling Left Democratic Front and the main Opposition Congress party in Kerala for treating the Christian community in the State as a captive “vote bank” and targeting Christian community leaders if they expressed any support to the BJP-led Central Government.
Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said this while welcoming a statement by Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, that their community could come out in support of the BJP if the party addresses the concerns of farmers.
Also Read | The BJP’s dream and Kerala’s reality
He expressed concerns that criticism of the Archbishop over his statement showed that people were being asked to suppress their opinions.
The Archbishop’s statement has created ripples in the political waters of Kerala after he stated that if the Centre promised to increase the price of rubber procurement to ₹300 per kilogram, BJP could finally get a Lok Sabha MP elected from the State. Mr. Muraleedharan was joined by BJP spokesperson Tom Vadakkan and former Union Minister K.J. Alphons.
“Do the CPI[M] and the Congress say they [Christian priests] don’t have the freedom to express their views if that indirectly supports the government of India? It is a ridiculous situation that both these parties claim to be pro-minorities but if Christian leaders speak some facts which may favour the Government of India, then they pounce upon them,” said Mr. Muraleedharan.
Also Read | RSS to continue deliberations with Christian denominations in Kerala
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