AICC eyes Christian face for Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee
In addition to Anto, the names of former Kannur DCC chief and Peravoor MLA Sunny Joseph, and senior leader and Chalakkudy MP Benny Behnan are actively being considered. The AICC seems keen to take into account the concerns of the Christian community, especially the Catholic Church, over inadequate representation in the party leadership, especially after the era of A K Antony and Oommen Chandy. The Church has aired its concerns on multiple occasions.
While Anto has the backing of the AICC leadership, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra blessings, Sunny is the preferred nominee of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The party leadership's stance has not gone down well with the Church. Apart from the fact that its nominee is being overlooked, Anto does enjoy good relations with the Church, say Christian leaders. Meanwhile, there is a strong feeling among senior leaders that both Anto and Sunny will come up short when pitted against CPM's seasoned Pinarayi Vijayan and BJP's new generation leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, prompting them to back an extended term for K Sudhakaran.
Meanwhile, the Church is viewing reports of Anto enjoying the support of Changanassery archbishop Thomas Tharayil as mere propaganda aimed at sidelining its nominee. While trhe Church initially planned to release a statement debunking the rumours, it ultimately decided against it, preferring not to intervene in Congress politics. Anto's links to the Pentecostal Church have also created hesitation among some Church leaders.
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Even in the dim and distant age of remote antiquity, unillumined by the light of historical knowledge, we find the underlying principles of nationalism chanted forth in the hymns of the Rig Veda embodying the very first utterance of humanity itself. That book, one of the oldest literary records of humanity, reveals conscious and fervent attempts made by the Rishis (seers), those profoundly wise organisers of Hindu polity and culture, to visualise the unity of their mother-country, nay, to transfigure the mother earth into a living deity and enshrine her in the loving heart of the worshipper." Tenth, and the most interesting tenet of the RSS philosophy, is that there are two kinds of people in our society—those who have joined the RSS and those who would ultimately join it. That is why the RSS doesn't respond to even its most vicious critiques, and history has been a witness—there is no dearth of RSS-baiters who later became the most committed swayamsevaks. The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. tags : hindu Narendra Modi rss view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 20, 2025, 04:29 IST News opinion Right Word | Decoding RSS: Ten Key Tenets Of World's Largest Voluntary Movement Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
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