Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement during his Independence Day speech that “family planning is a form of patriotism” seems to have irked Kerala’s Catholic Church.

Pro-Life Committee under the Kerala Catholic Bishop’s Council has issued a communique expressing their opposition to PM Modi’s statement. “Not only do they (small households) contribute to the welfare of their family, but also to the good of the nation. People who have played this huge role need to be honoured, and by setting them as examples, we need to inspire the segment of society still not thinking on these lines. We need to worry about population explosion,” the PM had said in his Independence Day speech from Red Fort. KCBC Family Commission secretary Father Paul Madassery in the communique said that the committee observed that the PM’s statement was made with ulterior motives ahead of a case on abortion law coming up for consideration of the Supreme Court by the end of this month.