BJP’s Kerala, Chhattisgarh units divided over arrest of nuns; Chandrasekhar hopeful of ‘justice’

The recent arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh has led to a disagreement between the party’s State units in Kerala and Chhattisgarh, prompting the senior leadership to step in and facilitate a resolution.

On Friday (August 1, 2025), Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the Chhattisgarh government will not oppose the bail applications of the two nuns who were arrested at Durg railway station on July 25. “We hope that they get bail in the coming days because the State government has agreed not to oppose their bail,” he said, adding that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clearly said that justice would be given to the nuns.

Amid protests by the Christian community and political parties in Kerala demanding release of the nuns, the State unit continued its effort to mend bridges with Church leaders. Through its X handle, the unit on Friday posted a message from its former chief Kummanam Rajasekharan saying that it had been completely honest in its intervention in the issue. “Shri George Kurien as Union Minister and Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar as State President have intervened in this issue,” he said.

“There is nothing to hide in this matter, the party is intervening in this issue with sincerity and honesty. The Christian community should understand this. The Congress and the Communist Party have deceived the Christian community the most,” said Mr. Rajasekharan.

Earlier, as voices grew stronger demanding the release of the nuns, the matter drew wider attention. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on July 28 – via his X handle – had said that “through inducement, an attempt was being made to engage in human trafficking and conversion” and that it was “a serious matter related to women’s safety”, adding that the investigation in this case was still on.

Hours later, Mr. Chandrasekhar termed the arrests as a case of “misunderstanding”, stating that the unit had contacted the Home Minister of Chhattisgarh and the State government, and the Union Home Ministry. “We received tremendous support from the authorities… the accompanying girls are adults, and they had parental consent…,” he said.

The same day, the party’s Kerala State general secretary Anoop Antony reached Chhattisgarh and met the State’s Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma.

“Our State general secretary is currently in Chhattisgarh, and we are committed to ensuring that all necessary assistance is provided to secure justice for the nuns under arrest. While Chhattisgarh, being a tribal state, has an anti-conversion law in place, we are convinced that the allegations of conversion against the Malayali nuns are not true,” posted Mr. Chandrasekhar on X, adding: “…the BJP is determined to stand by the nuns until they are released and justice is delivered.”

However, the next day, BJP MP from Durg, Vijay Baghel, spoke during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha on the issue. Alleging a conspiracy by the Congress MPs to disturb communal harmony, he came out in support of the Chhattisgarh government for arresting the nuns.

“Around 8:30 a.m., one of the girls was seen crying, which drew the attention of some responsible citizens. When asked, she said she was brought there forcibly and wanted to return home,” Mr. Baghel said. “This is a conspiracy to malign the image of the well-governed, sensitive government in Chhattisgarh and create tension between two religions. Are we not supposed to protect our daughters in Chhattisgarh?” he asked.