Kerala Churches joined hands to protect Christian rights

Various Christian denominations have joined hands in criticizing CPI(M)–led LDF government in Kerala in what they claimed the government policies on educational sector as well as health care sector are threatening the rights of Christians.

11 Bishops belonging to Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Churches have issued a joint pastoral letter criticising the policies of the LDF Government on July 29.

The same day the powerful Syro–Malabar Church organized a rally here to “protect the rights of minorities”. Speaking at the rally, the head of the Syro–Malabar Church, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil made a very strong statement against the state government.

The immediate provocation of Christians for turning against the Communist–led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government here is the state’s education policy. The new definition given in the Self Financing Professional Colleges Act passed by the Assembly had made Christians and Muslims in the State non minorities.

The government has tried to rein in self–financing professional colleges, run mainly with the support of the church. Currently, there are 49 private self–financing engineering colleges and 29 medical colleges in the state.

The schools took off in the ‘90s when then government allowed the establishment of self–financing professional colleges to stop the outflow of money from the state in the form of large student donations to professional colleges in neighbouring states.

Though the Single Bench and the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court had declared the salient features of the law invalid, the Government is trying to get the law approved by the Supreme Court. This is a clear evidence of the anti–minority stand of the Government.

However, students and youth wings of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India are now opposing such colleges. And the LDF has tried to check these self–financing colleges by imposing a fee structure and limiting the number of seats for the management to 50%.

According to the government plan, 50% of the students should be admitted from a merit list and their fee was fixed at Rs15,400 per annum, with a deposit of Rs1.5 lakh per student. For the remaining 50% students, admitted under the management quota, the government allowed the institutions to fix the fee between Rs 40,000 and Rs 90,000. Within this, 15% seats were under non–resident Indian (NRI) quota, where the fees could be as high as Rs1.5 lakh.

The state government passed a bill to this effect but that has been struck down by the Kerala High Court. An appeal is now pending before the Supreme Court. The church saw the state’s efforts as an attempt to curb its rights and exclude Christians from the definition of minorities.

The pastoral letter criticizing the government was issued jointly by Malanakara Orthodox faction head Baselios Marthoma Didimos I, Marthoma church head Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Kottayam Archbishop Mathew Moollakkad, Changanassery Archbishop Joseph Mar Perumthottam, Knanaya Archbishop Kuriakose Mar Severios, Thiruvalla Archbishop Thomas Mar Koorilos, Malankara Jacobite faction Kottayam Bishop Thomas Mar Timothios, CSI Central Kerala Archdiocese Thomas Samuel, Vijayapuram Bishop Sebastian Thekkethecheriyil, Kanjirappally Bishop Mathew Arackal and Pala Bishop Joseph Kallarangad.

If corrective measures are not taken by the state government, the Church leaders are going to show their displeasure in all forms in the coming days.

Christians in Kerala account for about 19% of the total 31 million population in the state. Kerala has a unique record in India for the harmonious coexistence of diverse religions.

As per Census 2001, Hindus constitute 56.20 percent, Muslims 24.7 percent, with the rest small percentage made up by Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jews and others.