The reservations expressed by the Latin Catholic Church over the allocation of the fisheries portfolio have escalated into a wider political debate, with the CITU-affiliated union of fishworkers openly accusing the Church of pushing a communal narrative.

According to P.P. Chitharanjan, general secretary of the CITU-affiliated Matsya Thozhilali Federation, the growing focus on the Fisheries Minister’s community identity risks deepening fault lines within the coastal community. He questioned the relevance of such considerations in sectoral governance. “What matters is how they respond to the sector. Those who go to sea for fishing include Christians, Hindus, and Muslims. There are attempts to divide everything on the basis of religion, which is unacceptable. There is an effort to create communal tension,” he said.

Separate department

He further rejected the demand for a separate department based on community lines, stressing that fishing itself is a shared livelihood that cuts across caste and religion. Workers from different communities operate together on the same boats, he pointed out, adding that introducing identity-based divisions would undermine this long-standing tradition of collective labour at sea.

The intervention comes at a time when the Latin Catholic Church has sharpened its stance over the fisheries portfolio not being entrusted to one who “instinctively senses the soul of fishers”. The Church has expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of a Latin Catholic Minister in charge of the department, even boycotting the swearing-in ceremony of the UDF government. The discontent deepened further after the portfolio was allotted to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

Minister’s visit

In an attempt to ease tensions, newly sworn-in Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor on Friday visited the headquarters of the Latin Archdiocese and held discussions with Archbishop Thomas J. Netto. However, the Church leadership has maintained that it is too early to conclude that the rift has been bridged.

Church leaders argue that since nearly 80% of fisherfolk and coastal residents belong to the Latin Catholic community, the fisheries portfolio should ideally be held by a representative from the community. The Church had also extended political support to the UDF in key constituencies, including Thiruvananthapuram and Kovalam.