Thalassery diocese archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany has said that rubber growers will extend support to any political party that helps them overcome problems due to a fall in rubber prices.
During a protest rally of the Catholic Congress at Alakode on Saturday, the archbishop had said that if the rubber price was increased to ₹300, the growers would help the Bharatiya Janata Party open its account in north Kerala. His statement stirred political speculation and gained much attention, especially since the Lok Sabha elections is fast approaching.
However, speaking to the media on Sunday, the archbishop clarified that he had expressed only the farmers’ views and that it was not the diocese’s stance. “The Church is not affiliated to any party, including the BJP,” he said, adding that his remarks were aimed at drawing the attention of the authorities to the plight of the farmers. The farmers were ready to back any political front that would help them.
“The BJP-led Union government is now in power and in a position to formulate a policy. If they stop the import of rubber and increase its price to ₹300, farmers in the hilly regions will support the party in this election,” he said. He said the farmers were being served to confiscate their properties. For them, the only way out was an increase in the rubber price.
‘Huge loss’
The 15 lakh-odd rubber farmers in the State were struggling because of the fall in rubber price. “A farmer spends ₹220 to produce a kilogram of rubber, but he earns just ₹120. How will a farmer repay his loan and take care of his family?” he said.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary M.V. Govindan said the archbishop’s offer to help the BJP would not work in Kerala.
