Mizoram governor Kummanam Rajashekaran serves food to cardinal George Mar Alencherry at the Ernakulam guest ho... Read More

KOZHIKODE: The bishop of the Catholic Calicut diocese Dr Varghese Chakkalakal has said the minorities need not worry about anything under the BJP rule.

Speaking to media after meeting BJP Rajya Sabha MP, V Muraleedharan, who called on him on Tuesday in Kozhikode , the bishop said though there were some incidents taking place in other states, top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi , cannot be blamed for them.

“They might not even be knowing about the incidents,” the bishop said.

Chakkalakal said that he had met Prime Minister Modi during the BJP National Council meeting held in Kozhikode in 2016 and the issues concerning farmers and fisher folk which were raised at the interaction were given an sympathetic hearing by the PM.

"The issues related to Coastal Regulation Zone norms have been addressed to an extent," the bishop said.

Muraleedharan had called on the bishop as part of the outreach programme undertaken by BJP parliamentarians in connection with the fourth anniversary of the Narendra Modi government.

Syro-Malabar church cardinal George Mar Alencherry has assured the church’s support to Kummanam Rajasekharan who faced a hostile reception from some Christian organisations after his appointment as governor in the northeast state.

The cardinal had lunch with the governor and held a close-door discussion with him at the Ernakulam guesthouse. Speaking to the media after the meeting, the cardinal said that the opposition Rajasekharan faced is not political in nature.

“There are so many tribes there who have different opinions. It is a part of his responsibility as the governor to keep them together. The opposition there need not be political always,” said the cardinal. He said, instead, the tribes are likely to be driven by regional interests. “We need not see these responses as religious or political. That’s my view based on what I came to know about the situation there through news. I don’t think anything that can be done against the governor by a combine of Christians,” he said.

He said that he had talked to the catholic bishop in Mizoram about the appointment of Kummanam.

