Will not react to personal remarks: Priest on Kerala CM’s ‘ignorant’ remark

PTI, Jun 8, 2024, 1:55 PM IST

A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed as “ignorant” a priest who criticised the ruling Left on Facebook for their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, the cleric on Saturday said he never reacted to “personal comments”.

Geevarghese Coorilos — former Metropolitan of Niranam Diocese of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church — in his post said that “floods and epidemics do not always come to the rescue and people in Kerala will not fall more than once in ‘kit politics.”

The priest, known for his pro-Left views, had made the remarks on Facebook in connection with the LDF’s loss in the LS polls.

Hitting back, the CM on Friday had said that the priest’s post shows “that even among priests there are sometimes some ignorant persons”. On Saturday, when reporters asked the priest as to why he had put up the post, Coorilos said he has nothing to say on the matter as all that he had to say he has mentioned in his Facebook page and it is still there.

“That topic is closed. I have said what I had to say on the issue. I am not going to say anything more,” he said. When his reaction was sought to the CM’s remark calling him “ignorant”, the priest said, “I have never reacted to personal remarks and that is not going to happen ever”. He also made it clear that his heart was always with the Left front and it shall continue to be so.

Coorilos, in his social media post, had also said that one of the main reasons for the LDF’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls was the anti-incumbency sentiment among the people. The priest had also criticised the Left for allegedly attacking the Congress and Rahul Gandhi more than the BJP.