By Jacob Peenikaparambil

Indore, Feb 28, 2026: The New Indian Express reported on February 24 that federal on Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju had promised to consider favorably a request from the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Mar Raphael Thattil, to grant “micro-minority” status to Christians.

According to the report, the assurance was given during the minister’s visit to St. Thomas Mount, the headquarters of the Syro-Malabar Church, where he was accompanied by BJP Kerala president Rajiv Chandrashekar, vice-president Shone George, and Twenty20 chairman Sabu Jacob.

For over a decade, BJP leaders have made it a practice to visit Church leadership in Kerala on the eve of elections, widely circulating photographs of such meetings in the media. These visits often create the impression that the Church supports the BJP, whether or not such support has been formally expressed.

Media reports indicate that the major archbishop placed two requests before the minister:

1. to grant micro-minority status to Christians, and
2. to invite Pope Leo XIV to visit India.

The minister reportedly assured that both requests would be considered.

The Question of “Micro-Minority” Status

The demand for micro-minority status appears to stem from the allegation that resources and reservations intended for minorities are disproportionately allocated to one minority community, namely Muslims. Proponents argue that Christians therefore require a separate classification to ensure equitable access to benefits.

However, there is currently no religion-based reservation for Christians at the national level, as the Supreme Court has consistently held that reservations cannot be granted solely on the basis of religion. Christian converts from Scheduled Castes (Dalit Christians) are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in some states, making them eligible for state-level OBC benefits, but they are excluded from federal Scheduled Caste (SC) benefits.

At the same time, several BJP leaders have advocated the exclusion of tribal Christians from reserved categories. The BJP has also consistently opposed religion-based reservations. In this context, it is legitimate to ask: what tangible benefit would accrue to Christians from being declared a “micro-minority”?

Journalist John Dayal, writing in UCA News on February 26 (“Micro-Minority Status for Christians: Sectoral Bargaining May Undermine Indian Christians’ Shared Struggles”), warns that such a demand may ultimately harm Christian interests.

He notes that the micro-minority designation is unprecedented and could undermine ongoing petitions before the Supreme Court filed by Catholic and Protestant Dalit Christians seeking SC status. It could also adversely affect communities such as boatmen and fishermen who are classified as “most backward” in several coastal states and currently receive specific benefits.

Moreover, the term “micro-minority” has no clear basis in constitutional provisions, statutory law, or judicial precedent. It appears to be a political proposal rather than a legally recognised category.

Dayal further argues that matters of this magnitude require extensive consultation across Christian communities in India. When Church leadership engages with the government, it must carry the moral authority of representing the lived experiences of its most vulnerable members. Without such consultation, even well-intentioned proposals may be perceived as narrow or self-serving.

Constitutional Context

The Indian Constitution does not explicitly define the term “minority.” However, Articles 29 and 30 guarantee cultural and educational rights to minorities, including the right to establish and administer educational institutions. It remains unclear what additional legal or constitutional advantages a “micro-minority” status would confer. The concept itself appears ambiguous and potentially confusing.

Ideological Concerns

It is also important to consider the ideological framework of the BJP and its parent organisation, the RSS. In his book We or Our Nationhood Defined, M.S. Golwalkar articulated a vision of the nation that left little space for religious minorities as equal participants in public life. He wrote that “foreign races” in Hindustan must either assimilate into Hindu culture or remain in the country in a subordinate position, without claiming privileges or even full citizenship rights.

Such ideological positions raise serious concerns about the long-term implications of political engagement that does not critically assess underlying worldviews.

Missed Opportunities

The meeting with the Union Minister and BJP leaders could have been used to raise pressing issues affecting Christians across India, including reports of violence against Christian communities in several BJP-ruled states. The Church leadership might also have demanded the repeal or review of anti-conversion laws, which have often been criticised as draconian and allegedly misused to file cases against pastors, missionaries, and lay Christians.

Given the broader concerns about democratic backsliding and the consolidation of majoritarian politics under BJP leadership, the priorities articulated by the Kerala Church leadership appear, to many observers, misplaced. Christians living in BJP-ruled states may reasonably question whether such engagements risk aligning the Church, even inadvertently, with forces whose ideological commitments remain deeply suspicious of minority rights.