Thrissur: The Thrissur Archdiocese, through its official mouthpiece, has issued a strongly worded editorial criticising the state government and urging the Christian community to take a vigilant stand. The editorial in the November edition highlights the recent Palluruthi school uniform protest, pointing to alleged government discrimination, and situates it within a continuum of historical struggles by the community.

Referring to past battles, the editorial draws parallels with the 1957 Education Bill protest, the 1972 fight against college nationalisation and the 2007 efforts to contest the declaration that Kerala Christians are not a minority community, noting that each represented a determined struggle for justice. The editorial asserts that the time has once again come for a vigorous fight to safeguard the rights of the community.

It urges the faithful to participate actively in upcoming community awareness programmes and demonstrates the importance of recognising those who continue to marginalise Christians. The editorial also warns against wasting votes in elections and highlights ongoing “political neglect”.

On issues such as Muslim personal law reforms, all parties have taken similar stances, the editorial points out. Criticising the Congress, it states that the party leaders have allegedly ignored the Christian community’s concerns. Citing the Supreme Court’s partial stay on certain provisions of the Waqf Amendment Bill, it accuses the Congress of being hesitant to fully oppose measures detrimental to minority rights.

The editorial also highlighted how the Christian community in Kerala continues to face systemic neglect across multiple fronts. The J P Koshi Commission Report, submitted over two and a half years ago, remains unpublished, exemplifying the government’s inaction. Discrimination persists in education, with minority scholarships still administered unfairly, and the benefits of EWS reservations often failing to reach the community. Meanwhile, flawed forest and wildlife policies threaten livelihoods, and from the beginning, government measures have largely overlooked Christian managements in reservations for persons with disabilities, it adds.

The editorial concludes by calling for the community to remain alert, recognise patterns of marginalisation and exercise democratic rights judiciously.