Kochi: The Catholic Congress has issued a sharp warning that political parties will face a severe backlash if the plight of Kerala’s farmers continues to be ignored. The organization staged widespread protests across the state on Chingam 1, observing what it called “Farmers’ Deception Day” to highlight unfulfilled promises and growing distress in the agricultural sector.
The state-level protest was inaugurated in Palakkad by Global President Prof. Rajeev Kochuparampil, who accused the government of turning a deliberate blind eye to the worsening agrarian crisis. “Kerala’s farming community is collapsing under neglect, while leaders continue to issue empty assurances,” he said. According to him, sectors such as paddy, cardamom, rubber, and sugarcane are witnessing large-scale abandonment as cultivators withdraw in despair.
Speakers at the protest painted a grim picture of Kerala’s agriculture, noting that rising threats of confiscation, mounting debt, and recurring incidents of farmer suicides have compounded their hardships. Adding to this, uncontrolled wild animal attacks have devastated crops and endangered lives, pushing many small-scale farmers to the edge. The Catholic Congress charged that the state government was “systematically deceiving” cultivators while portraying an image of commitment to their welfare.
Global Director Fr. Philip Kaviyil, in his keynote address, stressed that agriculture is not merely an economic sector but the backbone of Kerala’s survival. “Destroying farmers means destroying food security, culture, and livelihoods,” he cautioned, while calling for sustained and united resistance.
General Secretary Dr. Josekutty J. Okhayil, Fr. Cherian Anjilimoottil, and senior office bearers including Thomas Antony, Benny Antony, Tresa Liz Sebastian, Adv. Bobby Bastin, Antony Kuttikkadan, Jose Mukkuda, and Jose Vadakkekkara also addressed the gatherings. They vowed that unless concrete relief measures are introduced, the Catholic Congress will intensify its agitation across the state.
From Palakkad to Kochi, diocesan and global office bearers of the organization led rallies and meetings, turning Farmers’ Deception Day into a coordinated voice of defiance. The Congress declared that the movement is not a symbolic protest but a long-term campaign to ensure farmers’ rights and dignity.
With Kerala’s farming sector already reeling under mounting challenges, the Catholic Congress’s message was unambiguous: political parties that ignore farmers’ cries today will face their wrath at the ballot box tomorrow.