The Hindu : Kerala News : Do not vitiate social climate, says Pinarayi

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Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Do not vitiate social climate, says Pinarayi

Special Correspondent

Warns against mixing religion, politics

Points out contradiction in Bishop’s statements
Says he has not made any anti-religious tirade

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has appealed to the Catholic Church top brass not to vitiate Kerala’s social climate by mixing religion and politics.

Addressing a news conference after a two-day meeting of the CPI(M) State committee here on Tuesday, Mr. Vijayan said there was no quarrel between his party and the Church. All that he had done was to condemn the attempt to disgrace the memory of the late Mathai Chacko, former CPI(M) legislator, who had lived as a true Communist. He would stand by his statements on the subject and would continue to do so if there was any attempt to disgrace a comrade, the CPI(M) leader said.

Mr. Vijayan, who began his news conference showing a video footage of the speech made by Thamarassery Bishop Paul Chittilappilly at a rally of believers on September 8, which had kicked off the row involving him and the Church authorities, said the statements made by the Thamarassery Bishop and other functionaries were full of contradictions. The claim made by the Bishop at the rally and the contents of the lawyer’s notice that had been sent to him on behalf of the Bishop were also contradictory.

Contradictory stands

While the Bishop had originally stated that Mathai Chacko had received the sacrament of anointing of the sick on his own volition and in full consciousness, the priest who had performed the sacrament was on record that Mathai Chacko was unconscious when the sacrament was performed. In the lawyer’s notice, it has been stated that ‘it is incorrect to state that our client (Bishop Chittilappilly) had stated in the speech that the late Mr. Mathai Chacko received the sacrament of anointing of the sick with full consciousness.’ These statements showed that one or the other statement was untrue, the CPI(M) leader pointed out.

Mr. Vijayan also strongly disputed the Church’s claim that the late MLA had performed marriage according to Christian rites after the public wedding, which took place at an auditorium. If Mathai Chacko had indeed submitted himself to such a marriage, the Church should produce the application that he had submitted seeking such a marriage. The CPI(M) was certain that the Church would not be able to produce even a shred of paper to prove its claim, he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the Bishop’s claim was clearly part of the political battle on in the State between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF). The LDF had won support from majority of the minorities in all the electoral battles since 2001. The UDF had been trying its best to reverse this trend. However, they had failed miserably in this attempt as had been evidenced by the Thiruvambadi byelection outcome. In the byelection, the LDF had secured 3,000 votes more than what it had secured in the 2006 Assembly polls. This would not have been possible if majority of the minorities, who are in a majority in the constituency, had not voted for the LDF.

What happened on September 8 was to channelise the politics of the UDF to the faithful of Thiruvambadi. The question that he faced was whether or not to expose this. He saw it as his duty to defend the memory of Mathai Chacko, who had lived as true Communist till the very last. Although he had spoken against the attempt to disgrace Mathai Chacko, he had not tried to disgrace anyone.

Not anti-religious

There was also no merit in the argument that his speech was anti-religious. There was no reason for him to indulge in an anti-religious tirade. Communists had never hesitated to even risk their lives when minorities were under threat, not only in Kerala, but also elsewhere in the country. Neither he nor the CPI(M) had ever adopted any anti-religious stance. However, those who raised such allegations must remember that just as they had the right to follow the religion of their choice, others had the right not to believe in any religion.

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