Kerala BJP vice-president and NDA candidate in the Pala Assembly constituency, Shone George, has strongly criticised a section of the Catholic Church and its mouthpiece, Deepika, which allegedly asked people not to vote for the BJP.
In an interview with a private news channel on Thursday, Shone George alleged that a segment of the Catholic Church and its mouthpiece, Deepika, were acting against the BJP and engaging in “servile work” for Congress leader K.C. Venugopal and Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K. Mani.
He expressed strong dissatisfaction with a section of the Catholic Church leadership and its official media organ, Deepika, over their perceived anti-BJP stance during the Kerala Assembly elections.
Shone George stated that bishops who get involved in politics should expect political opposition rather than respect. He warned that if the Church maintains an anti-BJP stance, the BJP would react accordingly, arguing that the era where voters strictly followed a bishop’s instructions is over.
“Yesterday, Deepika said that no one should vote for the BJP. If this is the Church’s position, we will also have to change our stance. The postponement of the bill, including provisions related to the FCRA, was the result of our pressure. If the Church doesn’t want us, we will reject the Church too,” he said.
Addressing concerns over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) amendments, Shone argued that churches managing their accounts properly have nothing to fear. He challenged church leadership, questioning who supported them during past crises if not him and the BJP, adding that Amit Shah had assured that legitimate accounts would be cleared.
Shone said the articles appearing in Deepika are not seen as the official opinion of the Church. He said that some individuals are working for the UDF and other individuals under the label of priests, and the church should be able to control such things.
In the last two years, it was Shone George, the BJP and Amit Shah who stood by the church in all its crises. No one from other parties was there, he said. What good did the church get from the Congress and the CPM? he asked.
Following Shone George’s remarks, his father, P.C. George, a BJP leader and NDA candidate from the Poonjar constituency, also issued a strong warning to Catholic bishops in Kerala against involving themselves in active politics, stating that those who do so would be treated as politicians and face political consequences.
Speaking to the media in Kottayam on Thursday, George accused certain bishops of engaging in “dirty politics” by supporting the United Democratic Front (UDF).
“Those bishops who speak politics will be seen as politicians by us. We will deal with them politically. We will not respect them,” George asserted, stating that the era of voting based on a bishop’s instructions is over.
George criticised bishops for protesting against the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act (FCRA), arguing that there was no valid reason to oppose the disclosure of foreign funding details. He claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had already assured the Church that the bill would not cause any difficulties.
He alleged that certain church leaders, including a bishop from the Kanjirapally diocese, had contacted convents to influence votes in favour of the UDF. George maintained that his criticism was aimed at specific bishops, not the entire Church, asserting that the church belongs to the believers, not just the bishops.
These remarks were made following polling for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, in which Shone George contested from Pala and P.C. George from Poonjar. The leaders argued that they had worked extensively for the benefit of the Christian community but did not receive the expected “reciprocal support” from the Church hierarchy.