The statement by Bishop of Pala Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, that a section of the Muslim community is targeting Christians through ‘love jihad’ and ‘narcotic jihad’, will create fissures in society, said P.T. Thomas, MLA and working president of the Congress party, on Friday.
Undue economic benefit and selfishness are the core motive behind crimes. In today's society, it is rare to find criminals operate on the basis of communal and caste lines. In this circumstance, none must provide fuel to create a wedge between communities which are living with amity. People in the stature of bishops must make statements that further communal amity, Mr Thomas added.
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The Bishop had recently urged the laity to be conscious of the pitfalls in “befriending people from other communities”. To back the argument, he referred to a statement by the former State Police Chief, Loknath Behera, that Kerala had become a hotbed of terrorist sleeper cells and a recruiting centre of terrorists.