THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP’s efforts to strengthen its foothold in Kerala with the backing of the Christian community have taken a hit, following a controversial article published in the online edition of the RSS mouthpiece Organiser.

The article raised questions about land owned by the powerful Catholic Church, stirring unease among Church leaders in the state.

The saffron party, which has been steadily courting bishops and priests in a bid to build a political alternative to both the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF, has now been forced onto the back foot.

Tensions have further escalated after reports of an alleged right-wing attack on Catholic priests from Kerala in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, casting a shadow over the party’s outreach efforts.

Although the BJP–which has been trying to expand its vote base ahead of the local body polls later this year and the Assembly elections next year–sought to downplay the issue, a hard-hitting editorial in the Church-run daily Deepika on Monday stated that Christians across the country are affected by every atrocity carried out by the Sangh Parivar.

Even children now believe that the anti-conversion law can be used to imprison any Christian and shut down their institutions.

“In this situation, how can we criticise the blasphemy law in Pakistan?” it asked.

The editorial alleged that the situation has worsened due to the silence of the central government, which, according to it, has become a source of encouragement for those who attack Christian institutions and places of worship.

As was the case during the last Christmas season, Christians in North India are living in fear as Holy Week begins next week, it said.

Responding to the now-withdrawn article in Organiser, which claimed that the Catholic Church is the largest non-government landowner in India, the Deepika editorial said no one here is afraid of the RSS article questioning who owns more land.