Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran on Friday sought to put the lid on the controversy surrounding the ‘narcotics jihad’ statement made by the Bishop of Pala. He accused the State government of remaining nonchalant despite repeated appeals for measures to ensure that incidents triggering communal tension were prevented.
At a ‘Meet the press’ organised by the Ernakulam Press Club, he said the Congress would not remain a mute witness when secularism came under attack.
Turning the heat on the State government for “doing precious little” to douse the communal conflagration, Mr. Sudhakaran said it was too late when Minister V.N. Vasavan visited the bishop. “There’s no need to distrust the bishop and the onus was on the State government to investigate and bring out the truth in what he said,” he added.
He said the Congress viewed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and communal fascism as a bigger enemy than the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. On Congress workers leaving the party, he said only those without any following quit. He added that party reorganisation would be completed without much delay.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Sudhakaran addressed a district leadership meet of the Congress.
