Manipur: Kerala church-BJP friendship continues to strain, Mananthavady diocese joins protest

The blossoming friendship between the churches in Kerala and the BJP-led Centre continues to turn sour over the ongoing tension in Manipur that has claimed over 100 lives.

Over the past several days, various church leaders in Kerala have questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over the violence in Manipur, where Christians make up 41% of the population.

The latest to jump onto the protest bandwagon is the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mananthavady. On Sunday, protest marches were carried out by members of the diocese that has over 160 churches spread in the districts of Wayanad, Kannur, Malappuram and Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu).

A communique of Bishop Fr Jose Porunnedam, sent earlier to all the churches, had urged the believers to register their protest against the endless violence and failure of the Union and state government to restore peace in Manipur.

Candlelight protest rallies were held after the Sunday mass at churches under the diocese. In the major towns of Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, and Mananthavady, public meetings were also held in the evening.

Apart from the laity, nuns and priests also participated in the protests. Various church organisations such as Cherupushpam Mission League, Mathruvedi, 'Vincent De Paul' units, and Kerala Catholic Youth Movement also participated.

Last Thursday, Thalassery archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany criticised the Modi government for failing to bring an end to the violence. The same day, the Kothamangalam diocese held a protest march holding rosaries from Gandhi Squad in Thodupuzha to Thenamkunnu Church.

"If Modi can convince the Christians in the north-eastern state that there is no discrimination, then only his statement to that effect would be seen as "honest and sincere" by the people of India," Pamplany had said.

The same bishop had raised eyebrows by allegedly offering support to the BJP if it helped raise rubber prices. BJP state president K Surendran had called Pamplany's statement a signal of the change in the attitude of the church in Kerala toward the saffron party.

In May, the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council appealed to the Centre to intervene in the ethnic violence in Manipur.

Prior to the beginning of the violence in Manipur, several church leaders in Kerala were criticised for allegedly cosying up to the BJP government in the Centre.

KCBC president Cardinal Cleemis was among eight heads of churches in Kerala who met Prime Minister Modi during his Kerala visit on April 25.