The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Bishop's stance flayed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 11, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Bishop's stance flayed

Special Correspondent

`Bishop's speech vitiated political and communal atmosphere'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram director P. Parameswaran feels that the language used by the Catholic bishops at a meeting on the self-financing professional colleges law in Thrissur on Wednesday did not befit their position.

In a rejoinder here on Thursday, Mr. Parameswaran said the language was provocative and betrayed lack of self-control. They smacked of a declaration of war. The speech made by Thrissur Auxiliary Bishop Mar Andrews Thazhathu, in particular, vitiated the political and communal atmosphere of the State. The bishop portrayed the law as part of a struggle between the religious majority and the minority. But what he did not probably realise was that his statement was capable of taking even the anti-LDF sections of the majority community into the LDF's folds. If that happened it would turn out to be a blessing to the LDF which was trying to create a Bengal model in Kerala. Such a development would not benefit the Christians or democratic Kerala.

Mr. Parameswaran said that instead of the language of a messenger of peace, which the bishop should have used, he spoke about killing and dying like a terrorist. The possibility of yet another religious terrorism rearing its head in the State was a dreadful proposition. It was irresponsible to foist a violent agitation on Kerala, he said.

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