Two Winners And A Photo Finish
According to the INDIA TODAY-ORG-MARG opinion poll, there will be clear winners in two states, but a tight finish in a third.

The Last Rampage
To offset
J. Jayalalitha's slight edge, a pugnacious M. Karunanidhi gives it his all in what is his final electoral campaign.

The Sixth Sense
A mercurial Mamata Banerjee vs a dependable Buddhadev Bhattacharya. The mismatch leaves the Left Front with a premonition of victory.

Secular Stake
Even as the Church makes a blatant move to play a more political role in the state, the CPI(M) nominates a priest to woo minorities.

One Man Barmy
India's apex social sciences facilitating body is rocked by civil war: the chairman says he is being opposed by both RSS ideologues and leftist academics.

Changing Order
An ageing profile and a frustrated officer corps leads the force to consider VRS and restructuring.

Liquid Asset
The Rs 700-crore industry has attracted many players. Now, purity will decide who stays in business.

Board Of No Control
Tax authorities say the BCCI spends more money on meetings than on matches.

COVER STORY: ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2001

Kerala
Secular Stakes

Even as the CPI(M) ropes in a priest to woo minorities, the Church makes a blatant move to play a political role

By M.G. Radhakrishnan in Wyanad

"Easomisihaakku Sthuthiyaayirikkatte (Praise Lord Jesus)."

Father Mathai Nooranal utters the customary greeting as he runs into an elderly nun at the Bethany Convent in Sultan Bathery in Kerala's Wyanad district. The nun promptly returns the greeting but is surprised to see the crowd of unusual visitors accompanying the vicar. They are all carrying huge red flags with the hammer and sickle emblazoned on them. The emblem is the "symbol of Satan" which they have been taught to hate since birth. The father smilingly requests the nun to call the other inmates. Perplexed, the nuns come out in ones and twos. "I know you are surprised that I have joined these atheists. But they are atheists no more and are the best protectors of minorities," says Nooranal.

Elections in Kerala have seen several firsts but this time the ruling CPI(M) has created history by fielding a Christian priest as its candidate-73-year-old Nooranal, the vicar of St Mary's Church-for the Sultan Bathery assembly seat. He had absolutely no leftist connections until the elections were announced. On the contrary, he was a known Congress fellow traveller. The church he belongs to-the Syrian Orthodox-as indeed most other denominations in the state, have traditionally been anti-communist and pro-Congress. The vicar has not even had links with the small group of pro-Left liberation theologists of Kerala.

Why then this sudden tectonic shift? The decision to field Nooranal follows the CPI(M)'s attempts to woo the minorities which constitute more than 42 per cent of Kerala's population. So far, Christians, who form 20 per cent of the state's population, and Muslims (22 per cent) have overwhelmingly voted against the Left (see chart). "The vicar's candidature proves our commitment to the minorities," says Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPI(M) state secretary.

Though he has steered clear of overt politics, Nooranal is no novice to public life. Founder of many educational institutions in tribal Bathery, he has been the president of the local cooperative bank for 40 years. "In the past, we could never ally with the communists as they were anti-religion and anti-God. But today they have changed and are on church and temple committees," says Nooranal. The priest also cites Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar's trip to the Vatican last year and his audience with Pope John Paul II. "If the holy Pope could bless him and present him a rosary, why can't I ally with him?"

Though the Christian churches and clergy have always backed the Congress and the Christian-dominated Kerala Congress in all previous elections, what raised eyebrows this time was the church's open attempts to make a direct entry into politics. The Thrissur archdiocese of the Syro Malabar church, the state's most powerful Catholic group, recently issued an extraordinary notice to the UDF, stating that it should be consulted during the selection of its candidates in Thrissur district.

"We have always supported the UDF and have a right to nominate those whom we believe will help us," says Monsignor Paul Kakkassery, the diocese's spokesman. The resultant furore led to several church groups openly dissociating themselves from the statement. Congress leader and former chief minister K. Karunakaran was unusually bold in questioning the diocese's move. Expectedly, the UDF, riven as it was by internal battles for seats, did not care to consult the diocese.

This has left the church leaders seething with rage. "They didn't consult us and now the people will give a fitting answer," said a priest. Chief minister aspirant A.K. Antony of the Congress tries to make light of the issue. "Everybody has a right to make demands during election time." The man who is widely expected to lead the UDF to victory obviously does not want to ruffle any more feathers on election eve.

MetroScape

Bond Free
The Savoy in Mussoorie must be the only hotel, apart from the Raffles in Singapore, to have a thing about writers. So, it was quite kismet when publisher Pramod Kapoor of Roli Books and author Namita Gokhale, who has an imprint with him, hosted the Ruskin Bond Festschrift—a Writers' Retreat in honour of that gentle Indian Roald Dahl, Ruskin Bond.
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