KOCHI: As the Lok Sabha election heat simmers in Kerala, all eyes are on how the Christian community – which constitutes 18.4% or 61.41 lakh of the state’s population – will vote.
What are the issues that influence them? Will the community get closer to the BJP this time? If not, will it be a vote en masse for the LDF or rally behind the Congress-led UDF?
While all political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo the community, the task is easier said than done. The main reason being that Christians are not one single bloc.
The community comprises various denominations – Syro-Malabar Catholics and Latin Catholics, Jacobite/Orthodox Syrians, Mar Thoma Syrians, Church of South India (CSI), Pentecost/Church of God members and Dalit Christians. And, each segment has its own interests, issues, and demands.
Traditionally, the Syro-Malabar Catholics, who make up 23.46 lakh (38.20% of Christians in the state), are considered close to the Congress. However, things have been gradually changing over the past two decades.
In contrast, the Jacobite segment of the Malankara Church lean towards the ruling Left front. The Jacobite Syrian Christian community has 4,83,000 members, and the Orthodox Syrian community about 4,94,000. Together, they number 9,77,000, according to a 2016 paper by K C Zachariah of Centre for Development Studies (CDS).
“The Christian community is not a monolithic block, nor were communal sects in their attitude to issues and in their outlooks,” explains Fr Paul Thelakat, former spokesman of the Syro-Malabar Church.
“Pluralism has been an important component of the Christian make up. It has resisted the herd mentality.”
The declining influence of the Congress over the Church, especially among Syro-Malabar Catholics, is attributed to several factors. “Several years ago, the Church and its flock considered communists an anathema. Voting for ‘Hammer-Sickle-Star’ (CPM party symbol) was a strict no. But, it has completely changed now,” points out Congress veteran Prof. K V Thomas, who is now LDF government’s special representative in Delhi.
“Over the years, the Left front has made significant inroads into the Christian community, while the Congress influence has eroded.”
A major reason for this is the absence of leaders such as Oommen Chandy and K M Mani, who had special rapport with the church leaders.
Writer Paul Zachariah, a keen observer of Christianity in Kerala, explains that it’s not just about the leader’s religion. He points out the sway former Congress chief minister K Karunakaran held over the Church leadership and the community.
“So, the rapport factor has nothing to do with the religion of the leaders. Among the current lot, only Ramesh Chennithala (former opposition leader) has some sort of acceptance within the Church and its leadership,” he adds.
Prof. Thomas, who is now acting as a bridge between the Left government and the Church leadership in Kerala, says there’s a vacuum in Congress leadership in Kerala.
What about the BJP? The rise in concerns over ‘jihad’ among a section of the community, viewed along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent meetings with Church leaders, seems to indicate that the gap between the saffron party and Christians is getting bridged – brick by brick.
“Some [Christian] leaders who have moved to the BJP are mere fortune hunters,” comments Zachariah.
According to Fr Thelakat, the BJP knows well that, in order to win in Kerala, they need the support of either of the minority groups. “Christian fundamentalism, too, is on the rise. There are clear anti-Islamic feelings in certain parts of Kerala, often based on mimetic rivalry emanating from socio-economic and demographic reasons,” he adds.
“Meanwhile, in the north and northeast, Christians are persecuted in the name of conversion.”
While the equation sounds complex, this election will certainly be closely watched to analyse if the Christian community is, indeed, warming up to the BJP in Kerala. That would be a paradigm shift in the state.
If so, which will be the constituencies where the BJP gains? If not, who will be the beneficiary – LDF or UDF? We will know the answers on June 4.
Christian population in Kerala
Total: 61.41 lakh
Catholics: 37.44 lakh
(61% of total Christians in Kerala -- 23.46 lakh is Syro-Malabar and 9.33 lakh Latin Catholics)
Jacobite Syrian Christian: 4,83,000
Orthodox Syrian: 494,000 (together 977,000)
Mar Thoma Syrians: 405,000
CSI: 274,000
Pentecost/Church of God: 214,000
Dalit Christians: 160,000
ISSUES THAT CONCERN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Rise in number of deaths due to wild animal attacks in Wayanad, Idukki, Kannur — where large number of Christian settlers — Syro-Malabar Catholics
Low prices of rubber and spices — mostly Syro-Malabar Catholics
Depleting fish resources — fishers mostly Latin catholics
Jacobite Syrian Christian — loss of large number of churches to Orthodox
The district with the largest number of Syro-Malabar Catholic Christians is Kottayam (13.4%), followed by Idukki (12.9%)
Districts with a large number of Syro-Malankara Catholics are Ernakulam (16.7%) and Kozhikode (13.0%).
Latin Catholics, the principal district of residence is Ernakulam (24.4%)
Source: Religious Denominations of Kerala by K C Zachariah (2016)