Rijiju: NDA confident of forming govt in Kerala

Kochi: Union minister for minority affairs Kiren Rijiju said the people of Kerala are ready to support NDA in the upcoming assembly polls. After inaugurating NDA's zonal office in Thrikkakara on Monday, he said NDA is contesting elections this time with the aim of forming the govt and changing Kerala's political landscape.Kerala always lacked the right govt to take the state to the next level of prosperity, he said. This is a good beginning for BJP and its allies as they offer an alternative to LDF and UDF. The people of Kerala had enough of the alternate rule by these fronts for a long time, he said, alleging that many central initiatives were not reaching Kerala because the state does not have a conducive govt. ‘Church seeks micro-minority status'Later, Rijiju met major archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church Mar Raphael Thattil along with NDA leaders. At the meeting, the Church demanded micro-minority status for the Christian community. After the meeting, Rijiju told reporters it was a courtesy call. "In Kerala, I think we are able to build confidence among minority communities, especially those who are smaller. We are taking good care of them and ensuring that everybody is treated equally," he said.Rijiju said Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis are minority communities in India, with Muslims the largest and Parsis the smallest. "Our intention is to give protection to minority communities as per the Constitution. If there are deviations in any state, we will take corrective steps. I assured the archbishop that Modi govt will take everybody along," he said.BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said they discussed two topics at the meeting. "The prelate expressed a desire for the community to be awarded micro-minority status. The reason is that minority resources and reservations are going to a particular religion. So, a discussion on considering micro-minority status came up. The minister told him that it would be considered," he said, adding a delegation would go to Delhi to discuss the matter. He added they also raised a demand to invite Pope Leo XIV and Rijiju gave an assurance on that front.When asked about the micro-minority status, Rijiju said it was the state unit's request and BJP will look into it. New NDA ally Twenty20's chief-coordinator Sabu M Jacob and BJP leader Shone George were part of the meeting.