Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks calling a priest "ignorant" for criticizing the ruling Left party over its Lok Sabha election defeat were strongly condemned by the opposition Congress and BJP on Saturday.
While Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala jokingly called the CM the "most knowledgeable" person in the state who has a habit of calling priests "lowly creatures" and "ignorant", BJP leader V Muraleedharan said Vijayan's remarks indicated that He remains intolerant towards those who disagree with him.
Muraleedharan claimed that the Marxist stalwart, when he was state secretary of the CPI(M), had called former bishop of Thamarassery diocese Mar Paul Chittilapilli a "wretched creature".
Chennithala further said that those in the political arena will always be criticized and hence, they should analyze the criticism and deal with it in a calm and balanced manner.
The Congress leader said, "Is it fair to call a priest or a bishop ignorant if he expresses his views on something? How can you call those who criticize the government or the CM as wretched creatures or ignorant? It is not right to do so." .,
Muraleedharan said Vijayan's comments indicate that despite being CM for eight years, he has not changed from the time he called a bishop a "wretched creature".
"He is intolerant towards those who disagree with him. He showed the same then and yesterday also," the BJP leader said.
Muraleedharan further said that what Pujari said about LDF was what the people of Kerala were also thinking.
Geevarghese Korillos, former Metropolitan of Niranam Diocese of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, had said in a Facebook post that "Floods and pandemics do not always come to the rescue and people in Kerala will not fall for 'kitty politics' more than once.,
Pujari, known for his pro-Left views, had made the comment on Facebook in connection with the LDF's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Hitting back, the CM had on Friday said the priest's post showed that "even among priests sometimes there are some ignorant persons".
On Saturday, when reporters asked the pastor why he put up the post, Kurillos said he had nothing to say on the matter because everything he had to say was mentioned on his Facebook page and it is still up there. is present.
“That topic is over,” he said.I have said whatever I had to say on this issue. "I'm not going to say anything more than that."
When asked for his reaction to the CM's comment calling him 'ignorant', Pujari said, 'I have never reacted to personal comments and that is never going to happen.'
He also made it clear that his heart was always with the Left Front and will remain so.
Kurillos had also said in his social media post that one of the main reasons for LDF's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections was the anti-incumbency sentiment among the people.Pujari had also criticized the Left for allegedly attacking the Congress and Rahul Gandhi more than the BJP.
While Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala jokingly called the CM the "most knowledgeable" person in the state who has a habit of calling priests "lowly creatures" and "ignorant", BJP leader V Muraleedharan said Vijayan's remarks indicated that He remains intolerant towards those who disagree with him.
Muraleedharan claimed that the Marxist stalwart, when he was state secretary of the CPI(M), had called former bishop of Thamarassery diocese Mar Paul Chittilapilli a "wretched creature".
Chennithala further said that those in the political arena will always be criticized and hence, they should analyze the criticism and deal with it in a calm and balanced manner.
The Congress leader said, "Is it fair to call a priest or a bishop ignorant if he expresses his views on something? How can you call those who criticize the government or the CM as wretched creatures or ignorant? It is not right to do so." .,
Muraleedharan said Vijayan's comments indicate that despite being CM for eight years, he has not changed from the time he called a bishop a "wretched creature".
"He is intolerant towards those who disagree with him. He showed the same then and yesterday also," the BJP leader said.
Muraleedharan further said that what Pujari said about LDF was what the people of Kerala were also thinking.
Geevarghese Korillos, former Metropolitan of Niranam Diocese of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, had said in a Facebook post that "Floods and pandemics do not always come to the rescue and people in Kerala will not fall for 'kitty politics' more than once.,
Pujari, known for his pro-Left views, had made the comment on Facebook in connection with the LDF's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Hitting back, the CM had on Friday said the priest's post showed that "even among priests sometimes there are some ignorant persons".
On Saturday, when reporters asked the pastor why he put up the post, Kurillos said he had nothing to say on the matter because everything he had to say was mentioned on his Facebook page and it is still up there. is present.
“That topic is over,” he said.I have said whatever I had to say on this issue. "I'm not going to say anything more than that."
When asked for his reaction to the CM's comment calling him 'ignorant', Pujari said, 'I have never reacted to personal comments and that is never going to happen.'
He also made it clear that his heart was always with the Left Front and will remain so.
Kurillos had also said in his social media post that one of the main reasons for LDF's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections was the anti-incumbency sentiment among the people.Pujari had also criticized the Left for allegedly attacking the Congress and Rahul Gandhi more than the BJP.
