CPI(M) Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday hailed Jesus Christ as one of the greatest liberation fighters in the history of the world.
Inaugurating a seminar in connection with the forthcoming CPI(M) State Conference, Vijayan said Christ was an icon of human emancipation and that’s why the party respected him.
He drove out money lenders, thieves and criminals from the place of worship. Christ was the voice of the oppressed people and the party could work closely with the Christian community for the betterment of the marginalized sections.
Meanwhile, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala came down heavily on the CPI(M) for using the photo of Jesus Christ in the exhibition in connection with the CPM state meet. The CPI(M) action was like Satan tempting Jesus in the desert as described in The Bible. “The CPI(M) is enacting the role of Satan in the 21st Century,”he said.
The display of a panting of Jesus Christ along with communist icons Karl Marx, Lenin and Che Guevara at the exhibition had triggered a controversy with sections of the Catholic Church viewing it as an attempt of the party to woo believers.
While the party justified the painting of Christ, saying that the exhibition was all about human history, the Church said that the party was looking for new icons as Stalin, Lenin and Mao had failed to inspire the young generation.
Son of god? Pinarayi mum
When asked whether the party accepted the Christian belief, which said Christ is the son of the God, the CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said he did not wish to say anything more at the moment.
Regarding protests by Catholic groups in some parts of the state, Pinarayi said: “I am not aware of such protests. But even if there are a few, these could be due to ignorance.”
