Kochi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's ruling political party, has been attempting to expand its presence in the southern state of Kerala, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the both Congress and Left parties.
In an effort to reach out to the Christian community, which makes up a significant portion of Kerala's population, the BJP's state leaders recently visited churches to meet with bishops and other community leaders on Easter.
While some members of the Christian community welcomed the BJP's outreach efforts, the Congress party criticized the move, calling it a "double standard." This is because the BJP is known for its Hindu nationalist ideology, which has sometimes been perceived as being at odds with the interests of religious minorities in India.
Despite this criticism, the BJP appears to be committed to its outreach efforts in Kerala, as it seeks to make inroads in the state ahead of upcoming elections.
Shashi Tharoor, a senior leader of the Congress party and member of parliament representing Thiruvananthapuram, criticized the BJP's recent outreach efforts to the Christian community in Kerala.
In a tweet, Tharoor accused BJP leaders of speaking out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to Christians, pointing to past incidents such as attacks on churches during Christmas, the arrest of pastors during services, and calls to strip Christians in the northeast of their Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Tharoor questioned which version of the BJP is the real one, given its inconsistent treatment of religious minorities in India.
Meanwhile, despite numerous incidents of Christians and their establishments being attacked across the country, the head of the Syro Malabar Church, Cardinal George Alencherry, said there is nothing in BJP-ruled India to fear for the Christian community. He even blamed Muslim countries for the fear that Muslims in India feel, in an attempt to justify the persecution of Muslims in the country.
Through his statement, Cardinal George Alencherry indirectly suggested that the persecution of Muslims in India is a result of the situation in Muslim countries where other communities are suppressed. The Cardinal also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a good leader who makes an effort to be one and is successful at it.
“Muslims may fear that if Hindus get absolute power they will drive them away. Their fear is probably based on what’s happening in Muslim countries, where other communities are suppressed,” he said in an interview given to Indian Express.
The Syro Malabar Church has been experiencing internal conflicts recently, with some members opposing a Church Synod decision directing priests to face the altar during most of the mass. This opposing group believes that priests should instead face the congregation while conducting mass. The disagreement has led to clashes, including inside churches, and a resolution has yet to be reached.
Additionally, Cardinal George Alencherry has lost the trust of some members of the church after a reform group accused him and other priests of financial irregularities. The group alleged that the church had suffered significant losses due to the sale of its land at lower prices. These allegations have further fuelled the infighting within the church.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and former state president PK Krishnadas were among the BJP leaders who visited bishops during the Easter holiday. Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran paid a visit to Thamarassery Archbishop Mar Remigius Paul Inchanayil on Saturday.
Another senior leader and BJP state vice president, AN Radhakrishnan, participated in the Malayattoor Church festival on Good Friday, and even climbed the Malayattoor hill to reach the shrine, but reportedly stopped after a few kilometres.