Attack on nuns upsets BJP's attempts to woo Christian votes in Kerala

Two nuns were allegedly harassed and intimidated by a group of Bajrang Dal activists at Jhansi

The recent attack on two nuns from Kerala in Uttar Pradesh may become a setback to the attempts of the BJP to make inroads into the Christian vote banks in Kerala.

As soon the the incident came to light, the CPM and the Congress in Kerala took it up. Forums like the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council had expressed anxiety over the incident. Demonstrations were also staged by some prominent churches.

A four member group comprising of two nuns attached to the Sacred Heart convent that comes under the Syro Malabar church in Kerala were allegedly harassed and intimidated by a group of Bajrang Dal activists at Jhansi on March 19. The nuns, who were traveling from Delhi to Odisha, were accused of converting peolple.

The incident came to light at a time when BJP's national leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah were campaigning for the party in Kerala.

Read | Shah assures action against those who harassed nuns

As soon as the incident came to light, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sent a letter to Shah urging that stringent action should be taken against the accused. He also said that such incidents would tarnish the nation's image and tradition of religious tolerance and practices. The Centre should strongly condemn such attempts to impair individual freedoms, he said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also on election campaign in Kerala, said the incident was the outcome of vicious propaganda of the Sangh Parivar groups to pitch one community against another and trample the minorities. "Time for us as a nation to introspect and take corrective steps to defeat such divisive forces," he tweeted.

In a damage control effort, Amit Shah said during an election meeting in Kerala on Wednesday that stringent action would be taken against the attack.

Sources close the BJP leadership said that the incident had upset the BJP candidates, especially in the Christian pockets of the state. The BJP was trying to make inroads into the Christian community that comes to 18 percent of state's population. Even national leaders of the party has been constantly meeting church leaders seeking support.