Many might wonder why, in one of my earlier articles, in which I referred to rumours circulating in Delhi alleging that the cash discovered following the fire at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence belonged to former Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, I also wrote about my ancestry—something that might appear entirely out of place in an article dealing with such a controversy.
I had written: “We are not ‘rice-bag’ Christians; we have been here for generations. Our forefathers came from Syria, carrying the faith of Saint Peter of Antioch. They believed that the spiritual grace of the Holy Spirit was transmitted only through the imposition of hands by the Patriarch of Antioch.”
When the Portuguese arrived on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, they found established Christians who spoke a different language and used Syriac in their liturgy. On the orders of the Pope, the Portuguese forcibly converted many Syrian Christians to the Papacy. However, many resisted. Those who resisted took an oath to uphold their faith in the Patriarch of Antioch—an event historically known as the Coonan Cross Oath.
The Portuguese, using force and other inducements backed by their naval power, persuaded a substantial section of the Syrian Christians to accept Catholicism. Today, these Syrian Christians are further divided: some owe allegiance to the Metropolitan of Malabar, forming the Orthodox faction, while others retain their faith under the Patriarch of Antioch, known as the Jacobite faction. Those who converted to Catholicism are known as Syro-Malabar or Syro-Malankara (Roman Syrian) Catholics.
My ancestors were originally Syrian Christians who accepted Papacy, making us Roman Syrian Catholics. I felt compelled to clarify this because I have been unfairly attacked as a “rice-bag Christian.” A “rice-bag Christian” refers to someone who converted to Christianity in the recent past in exchange for material incentives like rice, medicine, or financial aid.
It is true that the Catholic Church converted many Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on a large scale by offering medical assistance, education, and other aid. Beyond material help, those who converted were often promised better social standing, as Christianity theoretically rejects casteism. However, in practice, caste divisions still persist.
If you come to Kerala, you will find various Christian denominations and factions, and caste-based divisions are evident among them. For example, in Cochin, there are two cathedrals located very close to each other. One belongs to the Archdiocese of Verapoly (Latin Catholics), and the other belongs to the Syrian Christians. The Latin Catholics are mostly converts from the fishing community, while the Syrian Christians trace their roots to the traditional community. Both recognize the Pope’s authority today, yet social divisions persist: Syrian Christians are often perceived as upper caste, whereas Latin Catholics are still viewed as lower caste. Thus, conversion does not necessarily erase social status or caste dynamics.
This is why I believe that if reservation benefits are justified for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, converting to Christianity should not automatically disqualify them from receiving those benefits.
My personal philosophy is straightforward: right is right, and wrong is wrong. I hold no blind allegiance to any political party, whether it is Congress or the BJP. Traditionally, many Christians, including my family, supported the Congress Party. However, I no longer support Congress leadership because the party has devolved into a family-run dynasty rather than a democratic institution. If the party removes its dynastic structure, I would reconsider my stance.
As for the BJP, there are many secular, fair-minded individuals within the party and the RSS, several of whom I know personally and respect. However, certain elements within the BJP continue to castigate us and falsely accuse us of being “rice-bag Christians.” We are all Bharatiyas (Indians), which aligns with the core nationalistic spirit. The BJP needs to embrace this inclusive spirit fully.
My advice to the BJP leadership is that if you want to serve the people of this country and remain in power, you must adopt an inclusive policy. If minorities—Muslims, Christians—and Dalits, who are largely anti-BJP today, unite, they constitute almost 40% of the population, and the BJP can never win an election.
As for the Congress, you cannot be seen as a “Muslim party,” which is how it is perceived today. For the Congress to survive, it must first shed its dynasty. It cannot remain Gandhi-centric or be a party controlled by a mother, son, and daughter. There are many eminent leaders in the Congress—for instance, Shashi Tharoor—who are all sidelined. Who is left in the Congress today? Mallikarjun Kharge is the face of the Scheduled Castes, but he holds little real influence. Who is the other leader? K.C. Venugopal from my state—what is his stature? There is no one of real stature in the Congress anymore. If the Gandhi family continues to treat the party as its private property, the Congress has no future.