- 16 September, 2025
Kerala, September 16, 2025: An article in the RSS-affiliated Malayalam weekly Kesari targeting “certain Church heads and priests” over their alleged opposition to anti-conversion laws has prompted a strong reaction from the Church, potentially hindering the BJP’s outreach to Christians in Kerala. Local body elections are scheduled in the southern state this year, followed by Assembly elections in 2026.
In response, the Syro-Malabar Church, a key element in the BJP’s Christian outreach, on Monday criticised the article and questioned “whether the RSS is gearing up for a communal riot in Kerala by making innocent people into intolerant ones through false propaganda”.
The Kesari article, titled Chronology of global conversion, appeared in the latest edition of the weekly and was written by E S Biju, state vice president of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, an umbrella body of various Sangh Parivar organisations in Kerala.
Biju, advocating for a nationwide blanket ban on religious conversions, wrote: “The strange situation at present should go. If required, the Constitution should be amended… Certain Church heads and priests demand that anti-conversion laws prevailing in 11 states be scrapped.”
In July, when two Catholic nuns from Kerala were arrested in Chhattisgarh on charges of forced conversion and human trafficking, the Hindu Aikya Vedi and other hardliners in the Sangh Parivar had raised the matter of Christian conversions and criticised BJP leaders in the state who had travelled to Durg to support the nuns.
Citing the case of the nuns, the article stated that political and religious leaders had sought to create “religious hatred” over the issue. Without directly naming the BJP, it also criticised the “interference” of political parties and the government in a matter that is still before the court. Biju wrote, “It is illegal and equal to denying justice to the victim.”
The article further claimed that apprehension about religious conversions persists. Biju wrote: “It is imperative for the majority community to remain vigilant. Those who strive for the upliftment and unity of the Hindu community must defeat the forces of religious conversion, no matter what strategy they adopt. If religious conversion is the right of religious forces, then resistance to religious conversion and conversion are the right and duty of Hindus too.”
Reacting to the publication, the Syro-Malabar Church wrote on Facebook: “Why is Kesari lying in this manner? The article is inflammatory and misleading. It is a deliberate attempt to communalise Kerala and polarise India, using lies as fuel and fear as a tool.”
An editorial published on Monday in Deepika, the Catholic Church’s official daily, also criticised the RSS, stating that the organisation cannot conceal its “vichara dara (thinking)” even during its centenary year.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said in a statement that the article revealed the “anti-Christian stand of the RSS”. He added, “It has exposed the real face of the BJP, including its state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who had clicked photos with the nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh.”
The BJP, which has been making deliberate efforts to engage with Christians in Kerala — including inducting more Christian representatives in its state and district units in recent months — has not yet responded to the article.
The party has approached the issue of conversions with caution, largely emphasising its development agenda under the Modi government. The arrest of the nuns in July occurred when the party appeared to have made headway in its outreach, underscored by visits of senior leaders to Christian households and clergy during festive occasions.
Source: Times of India
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