AS THE two Kerala nuns arrested on charges of forced conversion and human trafficking in Chhattisgarh remain behind bars, a powerful body of Catholic bishops in Kerala Wednesday indicated that any prospective “friendship” with the BJP rests on the issue.

Addressing reporters, Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) president Cardinal Baselios Cleemis expressed unhappiness over the denial of bail to the two nuns, and said: “If no justice is done, then what friendship can there be? How can we speak of perfect brotherhood?”

On Wednesday, the Catholic Church also took out a march to the Raj Bhavan, with bishops, priests and nuns joining in. Elsewhere across the state too, the followers of the Catholic Church held protests against the arrest of the nuns on charges of conversion.

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The stand of the KCBC, which comprises heads of all 43 Catholic dioceses in the state, underlines the dilemma the BJP finds itself in – torn between the Sangh Parivar’s anti-conversion narrative, and its own electoral ambitions in Kerala, which rest on the party winning over the substantial Christian vote bank.

In a message directed at the BJP, Cleemis said: “We are closely watching the situation… Do what you say and be sincere in your actions. This is what we are looking for. Our concern is justice for the nuns.”

Addressing the Raj Bhavan march, the Cardinal took on the conversion charges against the Church, saying: “We are not going to close the gospel in the country. Our tongues have strength to proclaim the gospel and that will continue.”

At another event, Palakkad Bishop Peter Kochupurakkal attacked the BJP’s Christian “appeasement”. “There are certain political Dhritarashtras (the blind Mahabharata king) who move in and out of our churches and our liturgical functions. They go to church and donate golden crowns to statues. They are present at all functions. We have to recognise such people. We have to recognise their Dhritarashtra hugs,’’ Kochupurakkal said, in an apparent dig at BJP MP Suresh Gopi, who donated a golden crown to a church in Thrissur, the constituency from which he won in 2024.

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The Catholic Church seems to be hardening its stand against the BJP both because the nuns are from Kerala, and because the Church leadership wants to repudiate the allegation that it has adopted a soft line towards the BJP. Unlike in Kerala, the BJP is viewed largely with suspicion by the Christian community elsewhere, who accuse it of anti-minority bias.

Earlier, when Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest from Tamil Nadu who was jailed over alleged Maoist links, died behind bars, the subdued reaction of the Catholic Church in Kerala had been remarked upon.

The interaction of Bishops and other Christian dignitaries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Christmas event had also drawn flak from a section of the faithful in Kerala as it came months after violence began in Manipur, with Christian tribals seen at the receiving end of violence.

Meanwhile, even within the Sangh Parivar in Kerala, not many are keen on the stance taken by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar dismissing the allegations against the nuns in Chhattisgarh. Chandrasekhar’s statement has drawn sharp reactions from some Sangh Parivar handles, who said the party ruling the country should not water down its stand for “a few (Christian votes)” in Kerala.