Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came down heavily on the BJP over the recent arrest of Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh. Calling it an act of targeted harassment, the Chief Minister said the nuns were arrested and jailed on the basis of a false complaint filed by Bajrang Dal activists.
Vijayan alleged that the incident exposed the “true nature of the Sangh Parivar” and accused them of consistently attacking the Christian community under the guise of curbing religious conversions and trafficking. “The same people who walk into Christian homes with cakes and smiles are now hunting down nuns,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that the Sangh Parivar fears the pluralism and coexistence that defines India, and that attacks on minorities are part of a larger agenda to undermine secularism and promote divisive politics.
Stating that he had written to the Prime Minister as soon as the news broke, Vijayan said there had been no effort from the Centre to correct the injustice. “Shockingly, the arrests were even justified by the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister,” he said.
The Kerala Chief Minister warned that minority rights and the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution were under threat and urged citizens to resist any such encroachments.
Kerala BJP Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Kerala BJP has taken proactive steps, with State General Secretary Anoop Antony already in Chhattisgarh to offer legal and logistical support to the arrested nuns.
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