The BJP, which had earlier announced an outreach programme called 'Sneha Yatra' on Easter Sunday, has extended invitations to the Christian community to visit Hindu homes on Vishu day.
KPCC chief K Sudhakaran
The Congress leadership in Kerala, in a bid to stem the erosion of their support base and to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is trying to forge a closer relationship with the Christian communities in the state, have embarked on a new initiative to renew their ties with them. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran is expected to meet Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church at 5.30pm on Saturday, April 15, which is being celebrated as Vishu in Kerala. Sudhakaran is also expected to call on Bishop Remigiose Inchananiyil, head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thamarassery, on Sunday or Monday, according to media reports. Other senior Congress leaders are also expected to call on heads of churches in the coming days. The BJP, which had earlier announced an outreach programme called 'Sneha Yatra' to woo the Christian community in the state by visiting their homes on Easter Sunday has extended invitations to them to visit Hindu homes on Vishu day. BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, who is in charge of the party affairs of the state, was present at the house of VV Rajesh, Thiruvananthapuram district president of the party, on Vishu day to welcome members of the Christian community including priests. They were presented with traditional shawls and 'kaineettam' (money given as part of Vishu ritual) and served breakfast. Denying that there is a political context to the outreach, Javadekar said, “BJP has members from all religions right from 1952. So this is not vote bank politics. Voting will become an issue during elections only. Today, there's friendship all over and this is real India (sic).” Meanwhile, the Political Affairs Committee of the Congress will have a meeting next week to discuss the BJP’s attempts to inch closer to the church leadership in Kerala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi on the occasion of Easter to send a message to the community.
No comments:
Post a Comment