Jose K Mani Hits Back After P C George, Shaun George Attack Kanjirappally Bishop; PC George's Remarks Draw Sharp Criticism

Kottayam: Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani has strongly reacted to controversial remarks made by BJP candidates P C George and Shaun George against the Bishop of Kanjirappally and the Church's stand on political and social issues, saying their attacks have revealed the true face — the mask of counterfeit coins — of those who now publicly denounce the Church.

Jose K Mani said it is entirely natural for Church leadership to engage on social issues, and that dragging such positions into the realm of partisan political point-scoring is a deeply objectionable tendency. He also posed a pointed question to the BJP: if the party truly has such great affection for Christian churches, why has it tightened FCRA regulations in ways that obstruct voluntary and charitable work carried out by Church institutions?

The controversy was triggered by P C George, who told the media that bishops were shameless and would have to be publicly rejected. He alleged that the Kanjirappally Bishop had summoned people to convents and directed them to vote for the UDF, and complained that his campaign advertisement was not carried in the Deepika newspaper. He dismissed the Church's concerns over the FCRA Bill, saying those objecting were simply barking out of dirty political motives.

Shaun George, the BJP candidate from Pala, similarly stated that certain elements within the Church were acting as agents for others, warned that the BJP may have to abandon the Church if such conduct continues, and questioned how the party could now approach Amit Shah to oppose the FCRA Bill after the Church's conduct during the campaign.

Both P C George and Shon George were BJP candidates — in Poonjar and Pala respectively.