A Kerala bishop’s open offer of a Lok Sabha seat to the BJP in exchange for a higher minimum support price (MSP) for rubber has provoked severe criticism from the Christian community, with one group calling it an act of “killing the soul” of a farmers’ movement.

Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of the Archdiocese of Thalassery has offered the votes of Christian farmers to the BJP if the Centre increases the MSP for rubber to Rs 300 from the current Rs 170.

“These settler farmers will erase your sorrow of not having a single MP (in Kerala) if you set the support price at Rs 300,” Pamplany had said at a farmers’ rally organised by the All Kerala Catholic Congress, a laity organisation of the Syro Malabar Church, in Kannur in north Kerala on Saturday.

He had urged the farmers to “react politically for the survival of our settler farmers”.

Pamplany’s statement came two days after a delegation of the Kannur unit of the BJP called on him. The party shared pictures of the meeting on its Facebook page on Sunday, welcoming Pamplany’s offer. The farmers in much of Kerala’s high ranges along the Western Ghats belong to the Catholic community and even those in northern districts such as Wayanad and Kannur are migrants from southern districts. They wield decisive political clout in these areas and have traditionally supported the Congress-led UDF.

While the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) immediately distanced itself from the archbishop’s offer to the BJP, Pamplany maintained his stand. “The BJP rules the country and hence there is nothing that prevents us from talking to them. Neither the Church nor its leadership has any issues in talking to the ruling party. They have already spoken with each other on several issues and will continue to do so,” Pamplany told reporters on Sunday.

Shyju Antony, spokesperson for the Almaya Munnetam (Laity Movement), a prominent Christian group, told The Telegraph on Monday: “The Christian community will never listen to a bishop (on political matters). And now that movement has lost its soul with this bishop’s statement. “He is a spiritual leader and not a political leader or a community head. A bishop who should have ideally spoken as a spiritual leader ended up speaking like a fourth-rate politician.

“The farmers are agitating over genuine problems they face. But a bishop goes to that venue and converts it into a cheap political stunt. Essentially, the bishop went there and killed the soul of the farmers’ agitation itself.” Antony drew attention to how the nationwide farmers’ agitation against the three contentious farm laws brought in by the Narendra Modi government had maintained its distance from politicians to keep the sanctity of the movement intact. “They did not offer their support to the Congress or the BJP in exchange for solving their problems or convert the movement into a platform to trade with politicians.”

Antony rubbished Pamplany’s claim that he had merely relayed the farmers’ sentiments. “The farmers never said so. He is merely making up such a claim. That’s why even the KCBC chose to steer clear of what its own archbishop said.” Pamplany’s statement comes almost a year after his inauguration when BJP leader and minister of state for external affairs and parliamentary affairs, V. Muraleedharan, warned the community about Islamist extremism around the world. He had drawn severe criticism for his remarks.

The Joint Christian Council on Monday described Pamplany as “an insult” to the Christian community and warned it would boycott him if the Church didn’t step in to correct him. “Archbishop Pamplany has become an insult for the entire Christian community,” JCC said in a statement issued on Monday. “The archbishop who was ready to fix a deal for higher price of an agricultural produce won’t hesitate to reject even his belief system for a better deal in the future,” the statement, signed by JCC president Felix Pulludan, said.

Suresh Mathew, chief editor of Indian Currents, a publication of the Capuchins of Krist Jyoti Province of North India, reminded Pamplany that Christians won’t vote in accordance with the directions of the clergy. “Individuals have the freedom to vote for the party they like. Christian leaders must fight for rights. Fair price is a right of every single farmer in the country. Bishop Pamplany cannot barter votes for Rs 300 per kg of rubber. Today, no Christian will follow the diktat of priests and bishops,” Mathew said.