Resist attempts to turn Kerala into an extremist hub: Laity Council

The Council for Laity of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India has said that “Kerala, ‘God’s Own Country’, should not be allowed to turn into a haven for global extremism.” The council, in a statement issued here on Tuesday, said the conscience of the public should be against any attempt to turn the State into an extremist hub.

The statement alleged that there were moves to sabotage the secular fabric of the country, even as the powers that be appeared to be helpless. This is a situation where democracy is being sabotaged and insulted. It is a surprise that political and socio-cultural leaderships are silent even when little children are encouraged to promote communal poison, the statement added.

It also appealed to the public to recognise the danger and wanted the political leadership to ensure peace and harmony in the State.

In a statement on Monday, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council had described as dangerous the attitude of political powers towards activities of communal organisations in the State. The statement also described as mysterious how the State government was not acting on warnings issued on operations by extremist organisations.

The statement said Kerala was shocked by the communal slogans by a child during a rally organised by an organisation that had been accused of extremist activities in the past. The crux of the slogan was that the group would not hesitate to kill or wipe out those who opposed them. However, there has been no comprehensive action on the issue so far, the statement alleged.