Modi's Kerala visit could give impetus to BJP's Christian outreach initiatives in the state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two day visit to Kerala starting on Monday might strengthen its efforts to make inroads into the Christian votebank of the state as the PM is scheduled to meet heads of various churches.

According to sources, Modi might meet with heads of various churches including the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church cardinal George Alencherry in Kochi on Monday.

Party senior leader and Kerala prabhari Pakash Javadekar has been spearheading the efforts of BJP targeting Christian votebank. BJP leaders and workers had visited church heads as well homes of Christians during the recent Easter and invited church heads to houses of BJP leaders during Vishu festival.

Also Read | DYFI to ask hundred questions to Modi ahead of his Kerala visit

The decision of a dissident leader of regional party Kerala Congress (Joseph) Victor T Thomas to join the BJP on Sunday and the recent decision of a couple of leaders and former MLAs of Kerala Congress (Joseph), including Johnny Nellore, to form a new party, National Progressive Party, are being looked upto with much hopes by the BJP Kerala unit.

Kerala Congress (Joseph), which is a coalition partner of the Congress in Kerala, has considerable influence among the Christian vote banks of central Kerala as well as farmers and planters with considerable land.

Hence, the speculations around Prime Minister making any announcements on the demand of a bishop to increase rubber prices could not be ruled out, said sources.

Reacently, BJP state president K Surendran said that many families from minority communities have already joined BJP and the numbers would increase after Modi's visit.

The Congress and the CPM have been trying to resist BJP's attempts by highlighting the attack on Christian community members and churches in various states.

However, there are also assumptions that stringent restrictions imposed by the Modi government on foreign contributions by the NGOs had badly affected many institutions under various churches in Kerala and that could be the driving force if church heads are trying to compromise with the BJP.

Modi's road show in Kochi and interaction with youth at Yuva summit are also seen by the BJP camps with great hopes of strengthening the party in Kerala. The PM will also flag-off the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod Vande Bharat express, announce railway development projects, formally commission certain stretches of the NH and commission the Kochi water metro service.

In what can be seen as counter to BJP efforts, Congress and the CPM have planned multiple programmes in the state. While the Congress already announced a similar youth interaction programme by Rahul Gandhi at Kochi in May, CPM's youth outfit Democratic Youth Federation of India on Sunday organised a counter campaign titled 100 questions to PM to highlight the issues faced by youths.