Support to BJP? Church in India 'isn't playing prophetic role' for the sake of truth, justice

Counterview Desk
In a strongly worded statement, the Executive Committee of Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace, a Christian civil rights group, has taken exception to a recent utterance of Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry, who declared his support to BJP in Kerala to overcome the situation of the party not having an MP from the state.
The statement said, “Coming from a member of the hierarchy, such ‘assurances’ are unacceptable, deeply regrettable and bound to have serious long-term repercussions”, underlining, support to “fascist, fundamentalist and fanatic forces” inimical to the Constitution of India suggests a large section of the Church hierarchy “frightened to take a stand for truth and justice.”

Text:

We, the Executive Committee members of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace met at the Divyakarunyashram, from 23- 25 March 2023.
During the course of a highly participative meeting, we took stock of the many different involvements and other interventions of the Forum – nationally and regionally -- since the last Executive Committee meeting which held at Hyderabad in September 2022.
We deliberated and discerned on several critical issues which currently affect the Country and the Church! We are shocked by the recent statement made by Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry, given wide coverage by all sections of the media. According to media reports:
“Archbishop Pamplany assured to extend support to BJP if the union government raises the price of rubber to Rs 300. Addressing the protest rally of the Catholic Congress at Alakode in Kannur, the bishop said that the archdiocese would help the BJP in Kerala and will overcome the situation of the BJP not having an MP from the state.”
Coming from a member of the hierarchy, such ‘assurances’ are unacceptable, deeply regrettable and bound to have serious long-term repercussions. Fascist, fundamentalist and fanatic forces are inimical to the Constitution of India, to the intrinsic values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, to its democratic ethos and to the secular fabric of the country. Through its insidious divide-and-rule strategies, BJP makes inroads into all sections of society, including among the Christians. This was experienced recently in the elections held in three North Eastern States and earlier, in Goa. Its blatant posturing and preparations for forthcoming elections in Karnataka and other states and the National elections of 2024, are indicative of its goal: the establishment of a state based on the ‘Hindutva’ ideology.
The reality is grim! For those espoused to the Hindutva ideology, any citizen who stands up for truth and justice, including human rights defenders and media personnel are, regarded as ‘anti- national’, hounded and harassed, incarcerated and killed; minorities (particularly the Muslims and Christians) are demonized and denigrated, attacked and jailed. This has been the cruel experience every Sunday for the evangelists and followers of evangelist Christian communities in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka etc.; at the receiving end of a brutal and unjust system are the Adivasis and Dalits, fisher-folk, small farmers, migrant workers and the unemployed, the poor and other vulnerable sections of society.
Sadly, in these troubled times the Church in India does not play the prophetic role which is expected from her on behalf of the suffering in our country; a large section of the hierarchy, clergy and religious are frightened to take a stand for truth and justice.

Comments

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

From protest to proof: Why civil society must rethink environmental resistance

By Shankar Sharma* As concerned environmentalists and informed citizens, many of us share deep unease about the way environmental governance in our country is being managed—or mismanaged. Our complaints range across sectors and regions, and most of them are legitimate. Yet a hard question confronts us: are complaints, by themselves, effective? Experience suggests they are not.

Kolkata event marks 100 years since first Communist conference in India

By Harsh Thakor* A public assembly was held in Kolkata on December 24, 2025, to mark the centenary of the First Communist Conference in India , originally convened in Kanpur from December 26 to 28, 1925. The programme was organised by CPI (ML) New Democracy at Subodh Mallik Square on Lenin Sarani. According to the organisers, around 2,000 people attended the assembly.

Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

The architect of Congolese liberation: The life and legacy of Patrice Lumumba

By Harsh Thakor* Patrice Émery Lumumba remains a central figure in the history of African decolonization, serving as the first Prime Minister of the independent Republic of the Congo. Born on July 2, 1925, Lumumba emerged as a radical anti-colonial leader who sought to unify a nation fractured by decades of Belgian rule. His tenure, however, lasted less than seven months before his dismissal and subsequent assassination on January 17, 1961.

ArcelorMittal faces global scrutiny for retreat from green steel, job cuts, and environmental violations

By Jag Jivan ArcelorMittal is facing mounting criticism after cancelling or delaying nearly all of its major green steel projects across Europe, citing an “unsupportive policy environment” from the European Union . The company has shelved projects in Germany , Belgium , and France , while leaving the future of its Spanish decarbonisation plan uncertain. The decision comes as global unions warn that more than 5,500 jobs are at risk across its operations, including 4,000 in South Africa , 1,400 in Europe, and 160 in Canada .

Venezuela and the crisis of global order: Erosion of rules-based international order

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The American attack on Venezuela violates every principle of international law that the collective West claims to uphold. The response from the European Union—“we are monitoring the situation”—exposes the hollowness of these claims. WhatsApp gossipers may celebrate this as an act of “bravery,” but what kind of bravery is it to intimidate a neighbour that is neither large in size nor strong in military power?

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Search This Blog