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IUML, Catholic Congress hit out at Natesan
IUML, Catholic Congress hit out at Natesan

Time of India

time3 days ago

  • Politics
  • Time of India

IUML, Catholic Congress hit out at Natesan

Kozhikode: IUML on Sunday hit out strongly against the remarks by SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan that Muslim community was trying to exert undue influence in state, saying such blatantly communal remarks would have serious repercussions for Kerala society. Catholic Congress too criticized Natesan for alleged remarks insulting the entire minority community. Speaking to the media in Kozhikode, IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said state govt should clarify whether such divisive and communal rhetoric could be tolerated in Kerala. "If such blatantly communal remarks are made, then it would lead to discord in society. It is upto govt to decide if such communal and divisive statements can be made by anyone in the state. We heard of some leaders making similar statements in north India. But this is Kerala. Today one person made such remarks and tomorrow someone else would speak like that. Govt should give a reply," he said. He said Natesan had made similar remarks for BJP and yet the party lost its deposit in Nilambur assembly bypoll, showing that Kerala society would reject such remarks. The tone of Natesan's remarks is part of the communal propaganda being carried out in India, he added. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo by Taboola by Taboola IUML MLA P Abdul Hameed said state govt should register a case in connection with Natesan's remarks. "Otherwise, people will have to conclude that he is making such remarks with govt's support," he said. Meanwhile, Catholic Congress director Philip Kaviyil said people of Kerala will reject the irresponsible remarks with contempt. "As a community leader, he has every right to advise members of his own community and offer practical suggestions for their growth. But if he speaks in a tone that belittles or seeks to erase other communities, such remarks amount to blatant communalism. There is nothing wrong in advocating for one's own community or standing up for their rights. However, when it is done by disparaging others with mocking or degrading comparisons and by promoting a repugnant notion that only one's community matters, that is nothing but communalism," he said. He asked Natesan to explain where and how the Christian Church leadership has ever intervened unjustly or snatched away anything from members of other communities.

Christians caught in Nilambur's communal crosscurrents
Christians caught in Nilambur's communal crosscurrents

New Indian Express

time17-06-2025

  • Politics
  • New Indian Express

Christians caught in Nilambur's communal crosscurrents

MALAPPURAM: Ahead of the Nilambur by-election, scheduled for Thursday, political parties are making their final push, with one eye firmly on the Christian vote. Traditionally loyal to the United Democratic Front (UDF), Christians in the constituency are now being courted more aggressively than ever, in what is emerging as a test case for shifting communal and political dynamics in the state. With close to 40,000 voters, Christians account for nearly 11% of the electorate in Nilambur. They comprises mostly migrant highland farmers and their families — about 14,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics, 9,000 Orthodox Christians, 6,000 Marthomites, 4,000 Malankara Catholics, and smaller groups belonging to Latin Catholic, Jacobite, CSI and Pentecostal churches. Historically, this bloc has leaned heavily towards the Congress and the UDF, especially during the tenure of former MLA and veteran leader Aryadan Muhammed. However, the last two elections have indicated a shift — with 1,000 to 2,000 voters reportedly backing LDF-backed Independent candidate P V Anvar. Now, this bypoll comes against the backdrop of growing uneasiness between Christian and Muslim communities in Kerala, a divide that the BJP-led NDA is seeking to exploit. The UDF's alliance with the Welfare Party, linked to the radical Jamaat-e-Islami, has also triggered concerns among Christian organisations. The Catholic Congress (Thamarassery diocese) recently issued a pointed statement cautioning the Congress over its choice of allies. 'This was not a message to influence votes, but a public warning,' clarified Dr Chacko Kalamparambil, president of the Thamarassery unit. 'Political parties must disown the whitewashing of religious extremism. We also strongly condemn the leader of opposition's remarks equating Catholic Congress with CASA.' The remarks stirred a debate, but Congress leadership remains unfazed. KPCC president Sunny Joseph dismissed the controversy, stating, 'The Catholic Congress statement came from the Thamarassery unit, while Nilambur falls under the Mananthavady diocese. We do not believe it will have any significant impact here. Our organisational presence among Christian farmers in Nilambur remains strong.'

Catholic Congress' hard line on courting fundamentalist votes unsettles LDF and UDF campaigns in Nilambur
Catholic Congress' hard line on courting fundamentalist votes unsettles LDF and UDF campaigns in Nilambur

The Hindu

time11-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Hindu

Catholic Congress' hard line on courting fundamentalist votes unsettles LDF and UDF campaigns in Nilambur

The Catholic Congress, an influential non-ecclesiastical organisation within the Syro-Malabar Church, appears to have unsettled the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposing United Democratic Front (UDF) campaigns in the Nilambur Assembly by-election to some extent on Wednesday by striking a hard line position against the competing fronts soliciting the support of 'radical Islamist' political outfits in the high-stakes and no-holds-barred ballot box battle. In a strongly worded statement, the organisation, which claims to champion the socio-political interests of the Christian laity, has disavowed the LDF and the UDF's 'dalliance' with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, chaired by 2008 Bangalore serial blast accused Abdul Nasar Madani) and the Welfare Party of India (WPI, an offshoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami) respectively. The Christian organisation, which has significant influence among the Christian settler-farmer community in Nilambur, a crucial electoral bloc, warned that enabling ultra-conservative Islamist groups to telegraph their so-called leverage in the bypoll would not bode well for the LDF and the UDF in future elections. Secular voters The Catholic Congress also took the line that secular voters would give a befitting reply to the UDF and the LDF's appeasement of 'terrorist forces and political Islam' in upcoming polls. The LDF and the UDF scrambled to decipher the electoral implications of the Catholic Congress' overt political positioning even as both fronts continued to slug it out over the touchy subject of 'myopically courting fundamentalist votes for short-term political expediency.' The UDF stated that the LDF had no qualms about seeking the Jamaat-e-Islami's support in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the 2011 Kerala Assembly elections. The LDF sought to differentiate between the respective political lines of the WPI and PDP by insisting that the latter eschewed radical Islamism and towed a secular democratic line. However, the Catholic Congress's hard line stance on the LDF and the UDF courting 'Islamist' forces appeared to give some comfort to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Current stance A senior BJP leader claimed that the Catholic Congress's current political stance dovetailed with that of the National Democratic Alliance and has buoyed the chances of the party's candidate, who hails from the Christian settler-farmer community in Nilambur.

Catholic Congress slams Congress-Welfare Party tie-up in Nilambur bypoll
Catholic Congress slams Congress-Welfare Party tie-up in Nilambur bypoll

New Indian Express

time11-06-2025

  • Politics
  • New Indian Express

Catholic Congress slams Congress-Welfare Party tie-up in Nilambur bypoll

KOCHI: The Catholic Congress has strongly criticised the Indian National Congress over its electoral alliance with the Welfare Party in the Nilambur Assembly by-election, calling the move an "open challenge to Kerala's secular democratic traditions" and an example of "opportunistic politics." In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Catholic Congress, a lay organisation of Syro-Malabar Catholics, alleged that the Congress has compromised on core secular values by aligning with a party they claim is ideologically linked to religious fundamentalism. The statement, signed by Catholic Congress Director Fr Mathew Thoommoolil, General Secretary Shaji Kandathil, and President Dr Chacko Kalampparambil, warned that such alliances risk legitimising extremism in mainstream politics.

Catholic Congress reasserts relevance of Church leadership
Catholic Congress reasserts relevance of Church leadership

The Hindu

time18-05-2025

  • Politics
  • The Hindu

Catholic Congress reasserts relevance of Church leadership

The Catholic Congress' international conference held here on Saturday and Sunday served a warning to political parties in the country and reminded them of the unity of the Christian community as well as the relevance of the Church leadership. Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany, who inaugurated the conference on Sunday evening, said that Christians in Kerala would present a united front on key issues. He pointed to the large gathering as evidence of the community's backing for the Church leadership. Politics of survival Catholic Congress's global president Rajiv Kochuparambil, who presided over the conference, said that the politics of the Church was the politics of survival. Issues of a diocese will be considered as issues of the entire Christian community, he said. In his keynote address, Palakkad Bishop Mar Peter Kochupurackal pointed out the Christian community's inherent wisdom and discernment. He said the community had always remained free from subjugation by refusing to be bound by anyone's authority. Mar Jacob Manathodath said that the Catholic Congress still had a long way to go. Catholic Congress's global secretary Josekutty J. Ozhukayil, global director Fr. Philip Kaviyil, diocesan president Bobby Bastin, diocesan director Fr. Cherian Anjilimootil, Fr. Saji Vattukattil, Theresa Liz Sebastian, Fr. Michael Vettikkatt, Biju Parayannilam, V.V. Augustine, Fr. Arun Kalamattathil, Sunny Mathew Nedumpuram, Beena Thakkarapalli, and Abhilash Punnamthadathil addressed the gathering. Thalassery Archdiocese Diocesan general secretary Gijo Arakkal proposed a vote of thanks. Delegates from across the country and representatives from from France, Australia, the U.K., Ireland, the U.S.A. and Italy attended the conference. Thalassery Archdiocese will host the next conference. A massive rally was taken out to the venue from Fort Maidan here. Thousands of people took part in the rally. Fr. Kaviyil and Fr. Anjilimootil flagged off the rally. The rally raised slogans focussing on issues such as the J.B. Koshi Commission report, farmer problems, wild animal attacks and drug abuse.

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