KCBC attends Chief Minister's Christmas feast amidst controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The representatives of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) attended the Christmas-New Year feast hosted by the Chief Minister after Minister Saji Cheriyan withdrew his criticisms against the Christian Church leaders. KCBC President Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis and other priests attended the feast organized at the Mascot Hotel.

Metropolitans Mor Severios Kuriakose, Dr Joseph Mar Barnabas Suffragan, Joseph Mor Gregorios, Gabriel Mar Gregorios, Cyril Mar Baselios, Kuriakos Mar Ivanios, Bishop Dr Vincent Samuel, Rev. J. Jayaraj also participated in the feast. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan was not invited.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attended the feast along with his family. Ministers, including Saji Cheriyan, and civic leaders also attended the feast. Minister Saji Cheriyan spoke to Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis and other representatives of the KCBC. Chief Minister received the guests.

Although Congress and BJP leaders were invited to the feast, they boycotted it. Muslim League leader Abdul Wahab MP attended. The Chief Minister gifted a kit comprising a government diary, calendar and cake to the guests.

VP Suhaib Maulavi, Swami Gururatnam Gnanathapasvi, Fazal Ghafoor, Dr MV Pillai, SNDP General Secretary Vellapally Natesan, Gokulam Gopalan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Soorya Krishnamurthy, Jose Thomas, Tony Thomas, MPs, MLAs, Chief Secretary Dr V. Venu, TKA Nair, Kerala Kaumudi Chief Editor Deepu Ravi, Planning Board Vice Chairman Prof. VK Ramachandran, EM Najeeb, Raghuchandran Nair, Baby Mathew Somatheeram, former ministers, former chief secretaries, additional chief secretaries, senior officers and prominent people in the fields of art, culture, social and industry etc. were present.