Attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party to rebuild its ties with the Christian communities in Kerala ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has received a major shot in the arm with 47 Christian families, led by a diocese secretary of the Orthodox church, joining the national party here on Saturday.
Fr. Shaiju Kurien, secretary of the Nilackal Diocese of the Orthodox church, took membership in the party at a Christmas function attended by the Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.Muraleedharan. Kuriakose Mar Clemis Metropolitan offered the blessings.
“ BJP is the party that leads this country to a path of progress and we too want to be a part of this growing movement. Much beyond the spiritual and political aspirations, our intention is to line up under the leadership of the Prime minister Narendra Modi’’, Fr. Kurien told media persons.
Prior to joining the party, the priest had already communicated his decision to the Orthodox church leadership.
The development, meanwhile, has lent further credence to the speculations over a section of the Orthodox Church moving closer to the BJP-led government at the Centre and distancing itself from the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala. It also gives a boost to the BJP’s electoral prospects in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat, where Orthodox christians hold a considerable sway.
Earlier this year, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, Metropolitan of the Kunnamkulam diocese, had openly stated that the BJP was not an untouchable political pariah and flayed attempts to take certain quotes from the Vicharadhara, RSS’ ideological manual authored by M. S. Golwalkar, out of context.
The statement, however, triggered a torrent of reactions from within and outside the Orthodox church, prompting Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews III, the Catholicos of the East to issue a clarification that the church did not have either affinity or enmity towards any particular political organisation.
A couple of months ago, the Syro-Malabar church had relieved one of its priests of pastoral duties of a parish soon after joining the BJP. Fr. Kuriakose Mattam, 73, the then vicar of St. Thomas Church, Mankuva was removed from his duties at the parish by the Bishop of Idukki Mar John Nellikunnel, citing that the priest had failed to take the requisite permission.
