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Kerala’s major Christian sect head praises Modi

Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II said the Church, which incidentally is one of the oldest in the entire Christendom, had no problem in supporting Modi if he will be able to ensure religious harmony.

He told a private television channel at Kottayam on Monday that the members of the Church living in Gujarat were happy with the atmosphere prevailing in the state. The climate there is investor friendly. Those engaged in business in Gujarat are able to pursue their business freely as there is no red tape there.

“I have had no opportunity to interact with the Gujarat chief minister so far. But from the feedback I have got from the people of our community living in Gujarat, Modi is doing a good in the state. If he is able to carry them out in the entire country, he deserves support,” he added.

Political observers view the pro-Modi stand of the Orthodox Church chief as an indication of changing political equations in the Church, which has been cut up with both the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front and opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front for not backing them in their decades-old dispute with the Jacobite faction of the Malankara Church over the division of the churches and church properties.

Advocate Shivshankar, a leading political commentator, said that Orthodox Church has never been a blind supporter of the Congress as other Christian sects in the state. He pointed out that the Church had leaned towards the Left in the last Assembly election.

The Sangh Parivar has been trying to woo the Orthodox faction for some. They had extended open support to the faction a decade ago when the dispute in the Church snowballed. Senior leaders of the Sangh Parivar offered to mediate between the two factions to find a lasting solution to the dispute, which emanated from the divergent stands adopted by them over allegiance to the Antioch-based patriarch of the Syrian Church.

The Catholicos accused the UDF government of ignoring the sentiments of the members of the Church. He said that the disenchantment among the people against Chief Minister Ooommen Chandy’s government had percolated down to the grassroots.

State BJP general secretary K Surendran has termed the Catholicos’ praise of Modi as a sign of changing perception of the minorities in the country towards the BJP. He viewed it also as an indication of the increasing acceptability of the Gujarat chief minister as the next prime minister of the country.

He said that the controversy over the participation of George in the ‘run for unity’ marathon at Kottayam had died down due to this changing perception. The chorus for George’s removal from the post of chief whip, especially from the Congress, ended after Kerala Congress (M) leader justified his party colleague’s action.

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