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Kerala CM Vijayan rules out meeting of religious heads over ‘narcotic jihad’ row
The Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front and a section of religious heads in Kerala have been demanding all-party and all-religion meetings for quite some time over ‘narcotic jihad’ row.
Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday ruled out a meeting of religious heads and community leaders in the wake of the controversial statement of Pala bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt on ‘narcotic jihad.’
While giving a written reply in the assembly, Vijayan said there is no need of such a meeting in the present scenario, emphasising that the state’s communal fabric is very strong and nobody can vitiate the atmosphere and instigate hatred.
“I don’t find any need to call such a meeting. Kerala is known for its communal amity and brotherhood and nobody can dent it,” he said.
The Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front and a section of religious heads have been demanding all-party and all-religion meetings for quite some time.
The CM reiterated his position that there was no need for a meeting to discuss a non-issue like ‘narcotic jihad’. Soon after the bishop’s statement, the CM had said the religious leader’s statement was “unfortunate and uncalled for” and both love jihad and narcotic jihad were not based on any statistics or fact. The bishop’s statement had triggered a war of words between different communities in the state even as opposition parties urged the government to call an all-party meeting.
Addressing a church ceremony in Kottayam on September 9, the bishop came out against a particular community, saying that Catholic girls and youth were targeted by it. “Wherever arms are not used, narcotic drugs are being used and Catholic girls turn victims. Some groups are functioning in the state to support them. To understand this, one needs to analyse how women from other religions landed in the Islamic State camps,” he said. The bishop was referring to the trip of 21 people, including five converts to Islam, from north Kerala to Afghanistan in 2016.
Though there were widespread resentments over his remarks, the bishop later justified his statement in church mouthpiece ‘Deepika.’ In an article, the bishop said pseudo-secularism will destroy the country. “Those who insist that one should not talk about the evils that befall his own community are silently encouraging such things to flourish. Instead of ignoring the warnings, attempts should be made to discuss and study these issues to prevent such social evils,” he said, adding that pseudo-secularists are trying to suppress voices that point out evils in the society. He said while secularism remains the core of the country, pseudo-secularism will destroy it.
