Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today opined that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPM had picturised the “Last Supper” painting in a demeaning manner.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has strongly condemned the Communist Party of India ( Marxist ) for having hurt the religious sentiments of a large section of people.
His comments came in the wake of a snowballing controversy that involved posters of ‘The Last Supper’, in which the faces of Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples have been morphed and replaced with those of various political leaders including United States President Barack Obama, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Mr. Chandy himself among others. The latest development has come close on the heels of harsh criticism towards the CPI (M) from various quarters for having featured Jesus Christ in one of its campaigns.
Speaking to media persons here on Sunday, Mr. Chandy accused the party of having ‘crossed the limits’ by their actions. “The religious sentiments should always be respected and never should any revered figures be used for political gains. By replacing the faces with those of the party’s political rivals, it has committed an act of blatant blasphemy,” he said.
He added that “the party is attempting to realise the Marxist ideology of attracting the public through vociferous campaigns. However, the party would not find success in achieving its goals, instead, their actions would only backfire.”
Mr. Chandy also expressed optimism that the party would apologise for their actions. “A political party must never hesitate from correcting its wrong decisions,” he said.
Later, at a press conference, Finance Minister K.M. Mani echoed the views of the Chief Minister in the issue and demanded that the CPI (M) rendered a sincere apology to those whose sentiments have been hurt.
He pointed out that attempts are being made to liken the teachings of Christianity with the Communist ideology. “This is a disgusting move that is being adopted by the party. It is wrong to politicise the teachings of the founders of any religion. Moreover, while the ideology of the party revolves around dialectical materialism, it is quest for spirituality that is the basis of religions. The party cannot deny the fact that these principles are contradictory.”
No comments:
Post a Comment