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Journalism of Courage
One-of-a-kind crusade is on in Gods own country
When Marxists in Kerala invoke Christ,one could be pretty sure that the concerns,dear god,are more temporal than heavenly. An exhibition politically unequivocal in its title Marx is Right before the CPM State Congress begins in Thiruvananthapuram,had the usual suspects,from Marx to Che,and then there was the odd,perplexing one: an image of the Crucifixion. As the Congress bristled at this unexpected co-option,CPMs Pinarayi Vijayan displayed exemplary knowledge of the Gospels Didnt Jesus drive out usurers from the temple? and then flirted with liberation theology of Latin America as he said his party held Christ as the greatest campaigner for the liberation of the oppressed.
The politically astute could count two earthly reasons for the CPM making Christ a card-carrying member: the forthcoming by-election in Piravom where the Christian vote bank will be crucial,and,two,reduce the distance between the party and the laity. For the Congress,this is the perfect distraction from the growing faction fights and an opportunity to nail the CPM. In Kerala where the Congress held hands with the Catholic Church for the anti-Communist Vimochana Samaram in the late 1950s,this is one-of-a-kind crusade.
