Big challenge for Suresh Gopi as Catholic Church in combative mood ahead of LS polls

Kochi, Nov 3 (IANS) Superstar Suresh Gopi, who is eyeing another electoral battle at Thrissur in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, on Friday suffered a rude jolt when the powerful Catholic Church in the district announced to take him head on in the elections.

So far, he has contested twice from Thrissur on the BJP ticket — at the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly polls — and finished third, but not without giving anxious moments to the second placed candidate.

The Church organ to be distributed among the laity has staunchly attacked him for his earlier statement that none need to be worried of Manipur and Uttar Pradesh as the things there will be looked upon by “strong willed men”.

In reply to his statement, the Church has raised pertinent points in the party organ and have asked him, “since the BJP doesn’t have strong willed men, is it why he is planning to come as a strong willed man”.

The article in the Church organ further asks, “When Manipur was burning what was the ‘strong willed person’ doing and why ‘this person’ did not ask the Prime Minister about it,”.

Moreover, it points out that when the Prime Minister reached other trouble-ridden states, why did he skip Manipur. “People can see through the strategy of downplaying the Manipur issue as however much the communal elements try to camouflage, the voters in Thrissur are capable of seeing all such moves,” added the strongly worded article.

Incidentally, until the Manipur issue broke out, the Catholic Church in general enjoyed a good relationship with the BJP.

–IANS

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