The Congress party’s Kerala unit caused controversy by posting a sarcastic message on social media, ridiculing a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pope Francis at the G7 summit in Italy. The BJP expressed outrage over the post, which has now been removed. The post included a photo of PM Modi with the Pope along with the caption, “At last, the Pope had the opportunity to meet God!” This remark was a dig at PM Modi’s earlier claim that he believed he was “sent by God” for a specific reason.
The BJP promptly responded to the post, condemning it and accusing the Congress of disrespecting both PM Modi and the Pope. Kerala BJP president K Surendran tweeted his disapproval, suggesting that the @INCIndia Kerala ‘X’ handle, potentially managed by radical Islamists or Urban Naxals, consistently shares derogatory and shameful content about patriotic leaders. He also called out Congress heavyweights like party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, and general secretary KC Venugopal, questioning their endorsement of such statements. Kerala BJP general secretary George Kurian highlighted that the post was offensive and insensitive towards religious beliefs, particularly in Kerala, where Christianity is the third-largest practiced religion. BJP IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya alleged that the Congress has a history of disrespecting other faiths and demanded an apology from former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is Catholic.
Malviya’s statement on X, where he criticized the Congress for insulting Christians after previously mocking Hindus, has sparked a response from the party. In their tweet, the Congress referred to Pope Francis’ statement that joking about God is not heresy. They highlighted that even the Pope believes that making people smile intelligently can bring a smile to God’s face. The party also sarcastically tagged K Surendran and George Kurian, saying “Better luck next time.” VT Balram, Vice-President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, defended the post as satirical and aimed at exposing the shallowness in PM Modi’s public relations efforts. He pointed out that the tweet was a satirical response to Modi’s own claim of being sent by God.
Amidst growing criticism, the Kerala unit of the Congress party has removed the post and expressed regret for causing any emotional or psychological distress to Christians.
In an official statement, the party clarified that it has no intention of disrespecting any religion or religious figures. However, it maintained that political figures, including Prime Minister Modi, should not be exempt from criticism.
The Kerala Congress emphasized that no member of the Congress party would even consider insulting the Pope, who is revered as God-like by Christians worldwide. However, the party does not hesitate to criticize Narendra Modi, who, in their view, insults the believers of this country by referring to himself as God.
Furthermore, the Congress party challenged the BJP to apologize to the Christian community for their failure to take action when churches were burned during ethnic violence in Manipur.
“We are also aware that the Prime Minister has maintained a deliberate silence on the situation in Manipur, where minorities have faced persecution and places of worship have been destroyed. Minorities have also faced persecution in Assam and the Northeast, yet the Prime Minister has not uttered a single word. We are highlighting the Prime Minister’s lack of concern for the minority community, and his camaraderie and diplomacy with the Pope hold no real significance for the Christian community,” stated Mathew Anthony, spokesperson for the Congress party.