Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxena’s sudden visit to Kerala, just ahead of polling in the state, was odd enough to raise suspicions. He sought meetings with the heads of various churches and met a couple of them, triggering speculation that the visit was linked to the elections. Considering how the BJP has been aggressively wooing Christians in a desperate bid to achieve an electoral breakthrough in the state, the suspicion was only natural. The Congress took objection, choosing to call the meetings “intimidation tactics” ahead of the polls. The party then approached the Election Commission, accusing Saxena of violating the model code and seeking action against him for trying to “garner votes for the BJP”.
Saxena’s office sought to dismiss the speculation with the explanation that it was a personal visit—to participate in a hospital function on an invitation—and that he has been frequently visiting Kerala. It’s hardly convincing, mainly for two reasons.
One, the timing—he arrived Wednesday, just when the Lok Sabha campaign in Kerala was winding up and the last-minute luring of voters was on. Two, he wanted to meet only the heads of Christian churches and, more significantly, all of them. Whatever the nature of his visit, there is no denying that the L-G is an appointee of the Union government, and his actions can be linked, loosely or otherwise, to the intentions of the party in power at the Center.
However, what is admirable is that, though Saxena was able to meet some church heads, most refused to give him an audience. The office of the Archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, Thomas J Netto, clearly said such a meeting on election eve would send confusing signals. Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop of Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also sent out a similar message.
The Syro-Malabar Church, whose head, Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, and former head, Major Archbishop Emeritus George Alencherry, met Saxena, clarified that the visit was not political and that the church does not follow the wishes of any political party. It is undeniable that elections should be devoid of interventions that hamper the exercise of the voters’ free will. Developments such as this send out the wrong message. The meetings should have been avoided in the interest of preserving the credibility of the ongoing electoral process.