Religious leaders engaged in politics discourse should be prepared for criticism: BJP Kerala vice-president

BJP Kerala vice-president Dr. K S Radhakrishnan on Monday said that religious leaders who enter the political arena should be prepared to face political criticism. He asserted that once spiritual leaders take active political stances or influence voters, they can no longer seek protection under the sanctity of their religious robes or positions.

Speaking to a Malayalam media on Monday, Radhakishnan asserted that religious leaders who engage in political discourse must be prepared to accept criticism in return. He maintained that if clergy members or religious heads engage in political discourse, they cannot expect to remain immune from political scrutiny.

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He said that the harsh criticisms made by BJP leaders PC George and Shone George against the Kanjirappally Bishop are natural in the political context.

He asserted that the BJP will not abandon its efforts to court minority communities but will not shy away from responding to political actions by religious heads, stating, “If they speak politics, we will talk politics back”.

The BJP leader’s statement came in the backdrop of the Catholic Church-backed Malayalam daily, Deepika’s strong editorial counter-attack against BJP leaders P.C. George and his son Shone George following their sharp criticism against a section of the Church accusing them of siding with the Congress-led UDF and misusing the Church mouthpiece ,Deepika daily to campaign against the BJP.

BJP Kerala vice-president and NDA candidate in Pala assembly constituency, Shone George, on Thursday alleged that a segment of the Catholic Church and its mouthpiece, Deepika daily, are 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, the Deepika daily , for their perceived anti-BJP stance during the Kerala Assembly elections.

Following Shone George, his father PC. George, BJP leader and NDA candidate from the Poonjar constituency, P.C. George, has strongly warned Catholic bishops in Kerala against involving themselves in active politics, stating that those who do so will be treated as politicians and will face political consequences.

“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

Following this,the Catholic Congress, under the Kanjirappally Diocese, condemned the statements made by the father-son duo, stating they would pursue legal action if such false allegations and personal attacks against bishops continued.

Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt strongly rebutted P.C. George’s derogatory remarks, questioning if religious leaders are expected to be “voiceless beings” and asserting that such threats will not work

KS Radhakrishnan said that the BJP leaders were merely responding to political opinions expressed by clergy members, rather than attacking faith itself.

He made it clear that the BJP will not compromise on preventing religious conversions and strictly implementing the FCRA. He said that money received for charitable works cannot be diverted for other purposes or for building churches and such diversions should not be allowed without the prior permission of the government.

He also spoke about former DGP TP. Senkumar’s criticism that the BJP’s basic vote bank is Hindu votes and outreach activities are needed to maintain it.. Radhakrishnan indicated that Senkumar’s reminder that “one should not throw away the bird in the hand and go catch the bird in the bush” is serious.