Thiruvananthapuram | A strong editorial published on Friday in Deepika, the Kerala Catholic Church-run daily, has questioned the Left government's claim that most recommendations of the Justice J B Koshy Commission have already been implemented, and accused the government of keeping the Christian community "in the dark".
The editorial comes a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the CPI(M)-led LDF government had taken "all possible steps" to implement the Commission's recommendations, and announced a stakeholders' meeting on February 6.
His remarks are widely seen as part of an effort to reach out to Christian voters ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The Justice J B Koshy Commission was appointed on November 5, 2020, during the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, to study the educational and economic backwardness and welfare of Christian minorities in Kerala. The Commission submitted its report in May 2023 to the second Vijayan government.
However, Deepika said the report has not been made public even after more than two-and-a-half years of repeated demands.
"What the Chief Minister wrote on Facebook and explained at the press conference is based on the notion that the Christian minority in Kerala is merely imaginary," the editorial said.
Referring to the Chief Minister's claim that "most of the recommendations in the report have already been implemented," the paper said this had happened "without even a single Christian knowing about it".
"Sir, at least now release that report," the editorial said.
"It is so that this community can identify the benefits which it has been unable to find despite all efforts, and express its gratitude." At a press conference on Thursday, Vijayan had said there was "no need for any concern regarding this issue".
He said his government had examined all 284 recommendations and 45 sub-recommendations submitted by the Commission.
"Seventeen departments have fully implemented the recommendations, while action has been completed on 220 recommendations and sub-recommendations," the Chief Minister had said.
According to him, seven recommendations are still being processed for submission to the Cabinet.
Vijayan had said recommendations that could be implemented under existing laws were taken up without delay.
However, he added that some proposals required changes in state or central laws, court directions, or approvals from other departments, which had slowed down implementation.
"To address such issues, directions have been issued to take prompt decisions through inter-departmental consultations," he had said.
The Chief Minister also announced that a meeting of stakeholders would be held on February 6 at the Secretariat to discuss the remaining recommendations. He said several review meetings had already been held, including one chaired by him on February 17, 2025, and multiple discussions led by the Chief Secretary and the Minority Welfare Minister.
Vijayan dismissed reports suggesting that the government had failed to act on the Commission's recommendations, calling them “misleading”.
However, Deepika questioned these claims, saying that despite repeated assurances, "no one has been able to find any sign or result of the implementation of even a single recommendation".
"The Christian community will not relinquish its right to know which recommendations were implemented, when, where, and how," the editorial said.
The paper also pointed out that the Commission had analysed 4.87 lakh complaints and submissions from various churches and Christian organisations before preparing its report.
Protests were held after the government failed to act, following which Minority Welfare Minister V Abdurahiman announced in December 2023 that the recommendations would be implemented "immediately".
"Nothing happened over 21 months," the editorial said, adding that it was only after renewed protests that the government claimed most recommendations had already been implemented.
The editorial raised sharp questions-- "What exactly is the problem? Who is the government afraid of? If the welfare measures given to the Christian minority are spoken about, will that create any tension in society? Or is the claim of implementation simply false?" It also said the 220 recommendations claimed to be implemented had "not brought about any change whatsoever" in the Christian community.
Referring to earlier controversies, the paper cited the uncertainty faced by around 16,000 teachers in Christian management institutions and the government's interventions in school uniform issues, saying these reflected the government's attitude towards the community.
"The report must be made public," the editorial said. "Christians do not want any backdoor benefits." Quoting a line from the film Echo, the editorial concluded: "Sometimes protection and control may feel the same." It added that while the Commission was presented as a measure for protection before the last Assembly election, withholding the report while claiming implementation ahead of the next election "shows signs of control".
"But in a democracy," the editorial said, "isn't real control ultimately at the fingertips of the people?"
