JOIN USKerala archbishop vows votes for BJP if rubber price hiked to Rs 300/kg
An archbishop in Kerala has offered to help the BJP open an account in Kerala in the next election provided the price of rubber is increased to Rs 300 per kilogram.
Metropolitan archbishop of Tellicherry (Thalassery) archdiocese in Kannur district, Mar Joseph Pamplany made the offer while speaking at a protest meeting of farmers of the Catholic community against the falling prices of commodities on Saturday.
With the statement raising many eyebrows, the archbishop on Sunday clarified that he made the offer to BJP as it was the ruling party in the country. The high-range farmers would support any political parties that give such an offer, he said and added that what he said was not the official stand of the Catholic church but the sentiments of the high-range famers, who are mostly Christians.
"In democracy there is no place for protests that can't turn into votes. Whichever is the ruling party at the centre, we will vote for you if you increase rubber price to Rs 300 and procure it. Your worries that you have not even one MP from Kerala could be solved by the high-range farmers. We have no politics, but are only concerned with the suffering of our families due to acute financial stress," said Pamplany while addressing the protest meeting attended by a large number of high-range farmers.
The archbishop made the statement close on the heels of BJP starting its election campaign in Kerala with union home minister Amit Shah addressing a party rally in Thrissur last Sunday. The BJP has also been attempting to make inroads in the Christian vote bank.
The archbishop on Sunday claimed that rubber farmers were facing an acute financial crunch. While it requires Rs 220 to produce one kilogram of rubber, the farmers were only getting around Rs 120 now.
He also said that he made the offer to BJP as it was the ruling party at the centre. The high-range farmers would support any party that comes up with such an offer. There is no sort of discrimination towards any party, he said.
Welcoming the archbishop's statement, BJP Kerala state president K Surendran said that the archbishop expressed the people's resentment towards the CPI(M) and Congress for ditching the people after winning elections. The BJP government at the centre has been taking steps in favour of farmers. The plight of the rubber farmer would be taken up, he said.
He also said that a BJP-led government should come to power in Kerala so that the state would get the entire benefits of the development agenda of the BJP government at the Centre.