Nuns out on bail, contest begins in Kerala over who gets credit

Indian Express

3 days ago

The arrest of two nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh, and their release on bail after more than a week in judicial custody, has led to a massive display of solidarity with the Christian community in the state by the ruling CPI(M), the Opposition Congress, and the BJP.
A long list of politicians from across party lines visited the homes of the nuns in Kerala, as well as the jail in Chhattisgarh's Durg, where the nuns were held before their release on bail Saturday.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who had dismissed the allegations of forced conversion and human trafficking that had been levelled against the nuns in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, had sent party state general secretary Anoop Antony to meet Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma. On Saturday, Chandrasekhar himself joined Antony in front of the prison in Durg to receive the nuns after they got bail.
Delegations from the CPI(M) and the Congress were also present at the spot.
The BJP feared that the arrest of the nuns in Chhattisgarh, where it is in power, would spoil the progress it has made in its Christian outreach efforts in Kerala. On the other hand, the CPI(M) and Congress seized the arrests to claim that 'BJP's true nature has come out'.
After the nuns got bail, Chandrasekhar said on Facebook, 'The BJP will always stand by any Malayali in crisis, wherever they are in the world, regardless of their religion, caste, or beliefs. Whenever there is a need, we will step forward and work to solve their problems. I also thank all those who worked tirelessly over the last few days to make bail of the nuns possible.'
However, state General Education Minister V Sivankutty, who took to Facebook and termed the nuns' release 'heartening', also said that the political agenda behind their arrest was clear.
He claimed that the incident highlighted the double standards of the BJP as it was turning a blind eye to the alleged atrocities against and persecutions of the minority communities in states ruled by the saffron party, while acting as their protectors in Kerala for political gains.
He called for a united stand against such alleged moves to destroy the religious and personal freedom guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said the Congress would continue to support the nuns until the FIRs against them are quashed. 'When BJP leaders were going to bishops' houses with cakes, we had warned they were wolves in sheep's clothing. Now, that has become reality. The clergy have also realised that the BJP was cheating them. The UDF (the Opposition alliance in Kerala led by the Congress) will fight against the divisive politics of the BJP,' he said in a statement.
(With PTI input)