BJP’s Sneha Sangamam in Kerala on Vishu day
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOTTAYAM: On Vishu Day, the BJP leaders continued their outreach program by inviting Christian leaders to their homes and offering them Vishu Kaineettam. In Thiruvananthapuram, former union minister Prakash Javadekar and BJP district president V V Rajesh hosted priests from the Syro-Malankara Catholic community.
The ‘Sneha Sangamam’ event will continue every month, with the BJP leaders planning to also reach out to the Muslim community during Ramzan celebrations later this week. The BJP State leadership has been making efforts to reach out to minority communities, particularly Christians. In the first phase of the outreach program, BJP leaders visited various Bishop Houses across the State on Easter Day. In the second phase, they invited Christian priests to their homes on Vishu Day, where they had breakfast together.
During the event in Thiruvananthapuram, Fr Varkey Attupurath, Vicar General of the Syro-Malankara Archdiocese of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum, represented the community in the absence of Cardinal Cleemis. Prakash Javadekar received them with shawls.
According to a church source, Rajesh’s family and the Syro-Malankara Church have had an excellent rapport for several decades. BJP State Secretary S Suresh also hosted a breakfast meeting for priests from various Christian denominations at his home on Saturday.
In Kottayam, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, bishop of the Kunnamkulam diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC), to the house of BJP’s central zone president N Hari at Pallikkathodu.
The bishop was accompanied by Rubber Board chairman Dr Sawar Dhanania, and Board members T Raveendran, T P Georgekutty, Kora V George and rubber producers’ Societies consortium president Babu Joseph.