Kerala Minister retracts controversial remarks on bishops amid Church criticism

KOCHI: Facing criticism from various church groups for his remarks against bishops who attended the Prime Minister's Christmas programme, Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan on Tuesday said he is withdrawing the controversial parts of his speech related to "cake and wine" that had offended them.

Cheriyan, a senior leader of the CPI(M) in Kerala, however, maintained his stance on the alleged silence of bishops regarding "violence targeting Christians" in Manipur and other parts of the country during Modi's Christmas programme.

He addressed the media, acknowledging the criticism from the Catholic Church and other Christian groups, particularly regarding his comments against priests present at the Prime Minister's Christmas event at his official residence in New Delhi on December 25.

"If there is any difficulty and pain in the remarks about cake and wine, those parts are withdrawn," Cheriyan said in response to attacks against him.

He said that the priests had raised concerns about his speech during the inauguration of a CPI(M) local committee office in Alappuzha district on Sunday evening.

Cheriyan acknowledged that the mention of wine and cake in his speech may have caused discomfort.

The Minister withdrew his contentious statement following Kerala Catholic Bishops Council's (KCBC) declaration of non-cooperation with the state government until he retracts it.

"The mention of wine and cake is retracted if they feel like it," he said, referring to KCBC president Cardinal Baselios Cleemis' displeasure over his statement.

The minister said he has a personal relationship with all the bishops and asserted that there was no intention to defame them.

He, however, said he was sticking to the points he had raised on the issue of violence in Manipur.

"The Prime Minister's Christmas programme was a good opportunity to raise the issue of Manipur violence. But that was not done. If the issue could have been raised, then it would have gained great importance," Cheriyan said.

Strongly criticising Cheriyan's remarks, where he suggested that the Bishops who attended the programme prioritised enjoying "wine and cake" over addressing the issue of violence against Christians in Manipur, a Catholic church spokesperson had on Monday said persons in high positions should refrain from making such statements.

Responding to Cheriyan's criticism that priests did not discuss the Manipur violence issue with Modi during the Christmas programme, the Church spokesperson had said that it is not the role of political parties to dictate the political stance of Christians.

He questioned the minister's motive behind linking the Christian community’s participation in the prime minister's event to a specific political affiliation.

Speaking at the CPI(M) event in Alappuzha on Sunday, Cheriyan had mocked the bishops who had attended the PM's programme, saying they got "goosebumps" when BJP leaders invited them.

Talking to reporters here today, the minister also recounted accounts of attacks on Christians in BJP-ruled states.

He alleged that attacks on Christians have increased since 2014. Additionally, the minister pointed out that the Prime Minister has neither visited the riot-hit areas nor made a statement in Parliament on the Manipur issue.

Cheriyan alleged that an attempt is being made to promote "Hindutva communalism by unleashing intense attacks and propaganda against minorities." Citing data provided by the United Christian Forum, a Christian outfit, he said there were about 700 communal attacks against Christians in the country last year.

"It is reported that there are attacks on Christian groups in two places in a day. Of these, 287 occurred in Uttar Pradesh, 148 in Chhattisgarh, 49 in Jharkhand, and 47 in Haryana. All of these states are governed by the BJP", the CPI(M) leader said.

The CPI(M) leader launched the attack against the Bishops after the BJP initiated Christian outreach programmes in Kerala ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

On Monday, veteran Marxist leader and state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also took on the BJP for the violence in Manipur allegedly targeting the minority community.

In an apparent reference to the Prime Minister's Christmas programme, the Marxist veteran had said that a person holding the highest position, who had not taken any steps to prevent attacks against the minority community in Manipur, was making some "friendly moves for four votes," and the people can understand it.