Steps taken to curb attacks on Christians: PM

By George Jacob

KOTTAYAM, DEC. 31. The much-awaited meeting between the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, and Kerala Church leaders, which was hanging fire till Saturday night, took place today. However, the meeting was a low- key affair, with many of the Catholic bishops failing to join the delegation.

The meeting had run into rough weather as contradictory interests had developed in both camps. It appears that both the parties at last agreed to take the least favoured options they had - the Prime Minister met them in a delegation, and the bishops agreed to meet him on Sunday morning. And, contrary to their earlier stance, the bishops did not submit any memorandum.

Speaking to presspersons after the meeting, they said they had taken up the issue of increasing atrocities against Christians and asked Mr. Vajpayee to ``rise above party considerations'' as he was the Prime Minister of all Indians. The bishops said they had also taken up the issue of crisis in the agriculture sector in the State.

According to them, the Prime Minister said the incidents had no ideological angle and steps had been taken to deal with the issue. He assured them that he would take necessary steps to deal with the crisis in the agriculture sector.

According to sources, a final decision regarding the meeting was taken on Saturday night and the invitation for most of them materialised this morning. At least three of the bishops who were intimated of the audience with the Prime Minister expressed inability to attend it as they were preoccupied.

Those who met the Prime Minister were the Catholicos of the East, Baselius Marthoma Mathews II, head of the Malankara Orthodox Church; Joseph Mar Irenius Suffragan Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church; Bishop Thomas Mar Dionysius, Catholicos- designate of the Jacobite faction; Bishop Yoohanon Mar Phelixinos (also of the Jacobite faction); Bishop Abraham Mar Clemis of the Knanaya Orthodox Church; and Bishop Kuriakose Kunnassery of the Knanaya Catholic Church.

Those who were invited, but could not accept the invitation, included Bishop K.J. Samuel, Moderator of the Church of South India; Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil of the Latin Catholic Church and Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Mar Varkey Vithayathil.

The Prime Minister also received the Chief Minister, Mr. E.K. Nayanar, who submitted a memorandum seeking necessary policy initiatives to ensure remunerative prices for agriculture crops, development of the Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram international airports and sanction for a new airport at Kannur.

Others who met the Prime Minister included Swamy Athuradas, Mr. Vellappally Natesan, general secretary, Sri Narayana Dharma Pada (SNDP) Yogam, and sports star, P.T. Usha.

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