Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi | A day after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai justified police action against two Keralite Catholic nuns in that state, the BJP in Kerala on Tuesday virtually rejected his statements, saying that they were not involved in any human trafficking or forced conversion attempts.
BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar categorically made it clear that his party would make all possible attempts to release the nuns from jail and bring them back home safe.
Chandrasekhar said the party state general secretary, Anoop Antony, is already in Chhattisgarh to coordinate things and clarify the matter with the authorities there, and he himself would go there if needed.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress-led UDF MPs landed in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday to meet the nuns.
Though forced conversion is a clear issue in states like Chhattisgarh, no such thing has happened in this particular incident, Rajiv Chandrasekhar said. "We are confident that they (nuns) have not gone there for that (conversions)," he told reporters here.
In a post on X, Sai on Monday justified the police action against the nuns, saying, "Three daughters of Narayanpur were promised nursing training followed by jobs". An attempt was being made to convert them by human trafficking by luring them, he added.
Rejecting the Chhattisgarh CM's remarks, Chandrasekhar said it was just an allegation.
"We believe that no such things have happened there. It is an allegation. Let's see later who has made all these things and for what. Our top priority now is to protect the nuns from the case and bring them back home safe," he said.
When reporters asked whether the BJP condemns the act of Bajrang Dal, who reportedly behaved in an objectionable manner to the nuns, the leader said the party would strongly condemn the unjustified act by anyone.
"There should not be any ambiguity and doubt in that. We will come back only after ensuring justice for the nuns. That's the party's determination," he said.
Chandrasekhar also made it clear that Bajrang Dal is an independent organisation and the BJP is a political party. "If they do wrong and act against justice, they will be punished," he added.
Criticising the Congress in the matter, the BJP state chief further said, as in other issues, the grand old party is trying to play opportunistic politics in this matter too.
The anti-conversion law in Chhattisgarh was passed by the Congress party when it was in power there, he added.
Meanwhile, Anoop Antony, who leads the BJP's delegation, met Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma at his residence and told reporters that the Chhattisgarh government assured them it would intervene in the matter in a justifiable manner. He hoped that the government will intervene.
He also said more details of the case could not be divulged at the moment as it is sub judice.
The UDF MPs, including Benny Behannan, Francis George, and N K Premachandran strongly condemned the arrest of the nuns and said they would go to the prison here and try to meet them at the earliest.
"We will first go to the prison and try to meet the nuns. Then, we will contact the officials concerned. Our aim is to get the nuns released at the earliest," Behannan told TV channels here.
Premachandran alleged that the arrest of the nuns over charges of trafficking and forced conversion was a deliberate and calculated move.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's justification of the police act was proof for the suspicion that it was carried out with the knowledge and support of the state government and the ruling political leadership here, he charged.
Francis George, who was also part of the opposition delegation, sought to know how taking people for a job in a Christian convent would become human trafficking.
He further alleged that the arrest of the nuns undermined the fundamental principles, freedom of movement, and religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.
Before meeting the deputy CM, Anoop Antony said the party designated him to ensure a justifiable intervention in the matter.
"It is Chhattisgarh, and circumstances are different here. So, the objective of my visit is to ensure a justifiable intervention in the matter," Antony told reporters here.
The BJP Kerala unit, which came under vehement attack from political rivals and the church leadership, designated a delegation led by Anoop Antony on Monday to visit the party-ruled Chhattisgarh.
The BJP's move came after two Kerala Ministers, P Rajeev and Roshy Augustine, visited the family of nun Preethi, one of the nuns arrested by the Chhattisgarh police.
They had visited the family here as directed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, to offer them the full support of the Left government.
A Congress delegation, led by Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan and UDF MLAs, also visited the nun's family to express their solidarity on Monday.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC), an influential body of the Catholic church in the state, strongly condemned the arrest of nuns, calling it a painful and unacceptable incident, and urged the Centre to take justifiable action.
The arrest of two Catholic nuns, hailing from Kerala, in the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion triggered a political controversy in the state.
