Thiruvananthapuram: Amid mounting attacks on the BJP by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) over the arrest of two Keralite Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh, Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has said the nuns’ fate would decide the church’s relationship with the party.
Sisters Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis were arrested at Durg railway station on 25 July, along with a third person, Sukaman Mandavi, following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal activist, who alleged they were attempting to convert three girls from Narayanpur, Bastar, to Christianity.
The nuns have been charged with human trafficking under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and forced religious conversion under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act.
Speaking to the media Wednesday after Kerala general education minister V. Sivankutty visited him, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, who is the president of the KCBC, asserted that there would not be any “brotherhood” with the BJP if justice is not delivered in the case.
“These sisters are in jail, and bail has not been granted. This will become a benchmark. It is based on this that we are observing matters and planning the way forward. Naturally, when justice is not delivered, then what brotherhood is there to speak of? Then how can we claim the fullness of fraternity?” he asked, adding that there was no need to discuss whether the allegations were true as Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar has himself said otherwise.
Members of the KCBC and Christian organisations also held a joint protest march to the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram Wednesday evening.
The KCBC response comes at a time when the BJP is on the backfoot amid its attempts to make inroads into Kerala’s Christian community. Kerala functionaries have been trying to distance itself from the stance of its Chhattisgarh unit and aiming to get support for release of the nuns.
On Wednesday, a sessions court in Chhattisgarh dismissed bail applications of the nuns, ruling that the matter should be heard by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court. As the nuns remain in judicial custody, church bodies, along with the LDF and the UDF, have intensified their protests in Kerala as well as in Parliament.
Though Kerala BJP leaders such as Anoop Antony Joseph assured a “positive outcome” after meeting Tuesday with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai , it continues to face attacks from the Left and the Congress over “double standards” in treating minorities.
On Monday, Chandrasekhar stated that the party was confident the nuns had not gone to Chhattisgarh for religious conversion. But the Chhattisgarh BJP’s stance was at odds. CM Sai defended the arrests, stating he was concerned about the safety of the “daughters of Bastar”. On Wednesday, following the rejection of bail, videos emerged showing activists of the Bajrang Dal celebrating the court order.
The incident is particularly damaging for the BJP as it has long tried to attract Christian voters in Kerala, often led by senior leaders, and comes when the southern state is headed for crucial local body and assembly elections.
As part of the BJP’s minority outreach campaign ‘Sneha Yatra’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met senior church leaders across denominations, including Cardinal Cleemis, Cardinal George Alencherry of the Syro-Malabar Church, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III of the Syrian Orthodox Church, and Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of the Latin Catholic Church.
State leaders, including the party’s first Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, Suresh Gopi, have also maintained close ties with the church, which was instrumental in his victory in Thrissur.
According to the CSDS-Lokniti post-poll survey, around 5 percent of the Christian community voted for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with the party’s overall vote share rising to 16.68 percent from 13 percent in 2019.
Also Read: Arrest of two Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh causes ripples in Kerala. BJP leaders tread cautiously
Left & Congress eye minority support
On Wednesday, Cardinal Cleemis expressed gratitude to Sivankutty for visiting the church at a critical time.
“Our respected minister, Sivankutty sir, has come today, particularly to speak about the pain and suffering experienced by our two sisters in Chhattisgarh and to express his sympathy toward the church and these nuns. He has always stood with the church and its service sectors in every matter,” said the Cardinal.
In a Facebook post after the meeting, Sivankutty criticised the silence of Malayali Union ministers George Kurian and MP Gopi.
“How can Suresh Gopi, who had visited the Lourdes Church in Thrissur during elections to offer a golden crown to the Virgin Mary, remain silent now?” he asked.
“This incident has once again exposed the BJP’s so-called concern for minorities as pure hypocrisy. Attacks against minority communities are on the rise across the country, attracting significant international criticism. There is no such thing as one BJP in North India and another in Kerala. The BJP has only one true face. In Kerala, its leaders wear a mask. It is only because of Kerala’s strong secular foundation that they are unable to show their real face, but given the chance, they will.”
He added that persecution of minority communities in Chhattisgarh had started well before, even under the previous Congress rule.
As the minister met church leaders, a delegation of Left leaders, including senior leaders Brinda Karat, Annie Raja and MPs K. Radhakrishnan and A.A. Rahim, met the arrested nuns Wednesday. They condemned the Bajrang Dal, accusing the group of intimidating the nuns even in front of the police. The delegation, which reached Chhattisgarh Tuesday, was initially denied permission to meet the nuns.
The Congress raised the issue in Parliament and UDF MPs protested outside against the arrest of the nuns.
At Parliament on Wednesday, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said that India has become a “banana republic” as the nuns were arrested on false allegations. He also spoke of the BJP’s “double standards” in such incidents while party leaders including PM Modi claim to protect minority rights.
“The PM and Kerala BJP wax eloquent about their newfound love for Christians, but in reality, have venom in their hearts against minorities,” he said.
ThePrint reached Gopi for a comment via calls, but they went unanswered. This article will be updated as and when a response is received.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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