Amid conflicting pulls, Christian community a divided house in Kerala

MV Jose, a small-time merchant in Thrissur’s famous rice market, feels the Congress has an edge in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat in Kerala that is seeing an intense three-way electoral battle.

Jose was at the Our Lady of Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral when The Federal had an informal chat with him about the upcoming elections. He had been to the church for the regular evening prayer.

Thrissur contest

“In Thrissur, I think Congress’ K Muraleedharan has an edge but VS Sunilkumar of the Left is also a formidable candidate. He's very popular also,” he said. “Suresh Gopi (BJP) is well known but he is not going to get enough votes to cross the line.”

As a traditional voter for the Congress for the last three generations, Jose had no hesitation in sharing his thoughts. But many in his church, at least this time, do not show such a conviction about their choice of vote.

Sheela Kurien, an school teacher from Pathanamthitta constituency, is undecided as her constituency is witnessing an interesting contest between outgoing MP Anto Antony of the Congress, former minister TM Thomas Isaac of the CPI(M) and the new entrant, BJP's Anil K Antony.

“In fact, we're confused with Anil Antony’s entry. He is the son of AK Antony sir (former Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Kerala) and sounds highly educated and young," said Kurien. “But I have never voted for the lotus symbol in my life. However, if Anil Antony could be their candidate here, I don't think they are untouchables anymore,” she told The Federal.

Suresh Gopi's 'golden' crown

It was the same cathedral where we met Jose where BJP candidate Suresh Gopi donated a 'golden' crown. Controversy arose when it was revealed that it was not 100 per cent gold but, in fact, gold-plated copper. Nonetheless, Suresh Gopi's gesture to donate a crown to the Lourdes Matha was part of the BJP’s long-term plan to woo the Christian minority community in the state.

The BJP had been organising house visits around Easter and Christmas since 2022. Additionally, several bishops of various denominations had been invited to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's banquets.

Rubber price

Several high-ranking members of the clergy, including bishops of various archdiocese, have publicly endorsed the BJP recently.

The offer made by Thalasseri Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Mar Joseph Pamplani, to the BJP, conditional upon the Centre raising the price of rubber to Rs 300 per kg, stirred considerable controversy in political and religious circles in Kerala. However, the same Archbishop dragged his feet after the outbreak of violence in Manipur.

The BJP’s and RSS' efforts to win over the community in Kerala seemed to have dampened by the events in Manipur. Following the outbreak of violence in the northeastern state, which caused severe distress to the Christian community there, priests and religious leaders began to express displeasure with the Union government. Many even began making public statements against the Modi government.

“Christians in Manipur and other parts of North India are enduring brutal assaults from the forces of darkness. Despite this, there has been no effective intervention from the authorities. It is imperative that we take a stand against these evil forces. This is an opportunity for us to express our opinions,” said Archbishop Thomas J Netto, head of the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic Archdiocese in his Easter day message.

The Kerala Story

On the surface, the Manipur situation has impacted the expected advancement of the BJP’s efforts to connect with the Christian community. However, many political observers and community elders believe that there is a parallel undercurrent among the churchgoers.

The decision made by the Idukki diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church to include the screening of The Kerala Story in its vacation course curriculum for catechism students in Classes 10 to 12 cannot be seen as an isolated move, a Kottayam-based Catholic priest told The Federal.

“There has been a stream among us who think, 'What's wrong in siding with the BJP?' This split — call it ideological or something else — is evident in our church. There is no use denying it.”

The Kerala Story is a Hindi-language film that shows a group of women from Kerala who are 'coerced' into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic State. It may be noted that there has been a certain amount of friction between the Christian and Muslim communities in Kerala, with the latter understandably condemning the film.

Film on Manipur

The decision to screen The Kerala Story, alleging that the community is facing threats from Islam in the form of Love Jihad, has met with opposition from within the church. A section of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed this and instead screened a documentary on Manipur in several churches.

Interestingly, the last Sunday before the polling in Kerala passed without any serious discussions of pastoral notes being read out in any major churches, with the only exception being the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram.

Port woes

Meanwhile, in a circular read out on the Good Shepherd on Sunday, the Latin Arch Bishop, Thomas J Netto, alleged that their bank accounts including the FCRA accounts have been frozen due to their active involvement in the ongoing protest against the Vizhinjam port construction carried out by the Adani Group.

The circular suggested that the Union Home Ministry was responsible and that a state police report may have contributed to it.

Although the circular did not contain any explicit political message, it's clear who their preferred choice could be in the upcoming elections.

Tripping BJP

With Latin Catholic voters constituting a significant share of the votes in Kerala’s coastal belt including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) could benefit from such a stance taken by the church.

The jolt wouldn't be as significant for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI(M) since Latin Christians traditionally lean towards the Congress. However, the BJP's potential to gain a foothold in this voting bloc may be affected.

On the other hand, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has urged its members to "vote according to their conscience" while their rival denomination the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church has pledged allegiance to the LDF in Kerala.

'Vote freely'

“We don't see this election as a pressure tactic. Members of our church are free to vote as they choose, but past actions and our experiences definitely influence our decisions. Concerns about the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and (violence in) Manipur have raised serious concerns among the community,” said Biju Oommen, secretary of the Orthodox Church.

According to Joseph Mar Gregarious Metropolitan of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, the community leaders do not usually urge their voters to select any particular party.

“But, this time, as a community, we are in a crisis, and we know who has offered help and who has supported us. We need that assistance in the future as well, so it could influence our voting decisions,” said the Metropolitan of Malankara, indirectly referring to the support given by the LDF government.

Christian numbers

According to the 2011 Census, the Christian community makes up 18 per cent of the total population of Kerala and is spread across several church denominations.

From an electoral perspective, at least six constituencies – Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Ernakulam, Chalakkudy and Thrissur - in central Kerala have a decisive Christian population, where the outcome of the polls could be certainly determined by them.