George Kurian’s ministerial berth energises BJP’s Christian outreach

KOTTAYAM : The swearing-in ceremony of George Kurian, the minority face of the BJP, as a minister of state in the Modi 3.0 government took place on the eve of LDF’s scheduled meeting to take a decision on its Rajya Sabha seat sharing.

The surprise emergence of Kurian as a union minister has undoubtedly impacted the CPM’s decision to relinquish its Rajya Sabha seat and give it to Kerala Congress (M). The reason is that the Communist party recognised the importance of holding a Christian-supported party like KC (M) in the Left camp as it would be crucial to prevent the BJP from gaining ground in the Central Travancore region.

The induction of Kurian, who hails from a Syro-Malabar family in Kottayam, into the Modi Cabinet has sparked renewed discussions about the BJP’s efforts to appeal to Christians in Kerala, particularly in Central Travancore.

The victory of Suresh Gopi in a constituency like Thrissur, which has a significant Christian population of 22.5 per cent, has raised hopes among BJP workers of making further inroads in Central Travancore districts in the future, especially in Kottayam and Idukki, which have Christian populations of 37.9 and 36.6 %, respectively.

Kurian’s appointment as a minister is viewed as the latest move by the BJP to connect with the Christian community, following the inclusion of P C Thomas and Alphons Kannamthanam as ministers in previous NDA governments. The BJP’s central leadership believes that Kurian, a former member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), can help attract Christians to the party in the lead-up to local body elections next year and the assembly elections in 2026. However, Christian communities, particularly Catholics, are closely monitoring these developments keeping the cards close to their chest. While the BJP’s success in Thrissur has been attributed to support from Christian communities, the Church has not issued any public statements on the matter. Former spokesperson for the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), Fr Varghese Vallikkatt, suggested that ‘Kerala would realise that Thrissur natives were right’ regarding Suresh Gopi’s victory, but there has been no official comment on Kurian’s appointment to the NDA cabinet.

“There is no need to consider Kurian’s minister post as a recognition to Christian community as it is only a reward for his loyalty to the party. At the same time, it would motivate party workers as it is the recognition for an ordinary member of the party,” said a priest.

However, there is a segment of the Catholic community that strongly opposes the idea of Christians aligning with the BJP. They argue that the credit for Suresh Gopi’s victory should not be solely attributed to the Christian community. They point out other factors, such as internal conflicts within the Congress party, that may have contributed to his success. They question the decrease in BJP votes in Pathanamthitta, despite the party fielding a Christian candidate, if Christians were truly supporting the BJP.

According to them, the success of BJP’s efforts to attract Christians will hinge on how the Centre addresses the Manipur issue. “Concerns have been raised about the deteriorating relationship between the Christian community and the BJP in the entire northeast region,” said a former functionary of the KCBC.