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Muslim leaders kept out of meeting with Vajpayee

The selection of spiritual and community leaders for the meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the penultimate day of his week-long vacation at the Kumarakom lake resort has provoked a controversy in Kerala, where minorities comprise nearly 45 per cent of the population.

While Muslim community leaders are outraged that none of them were invited to the encounter with Vajpayee, Christian circles are disappointed with the lack of representation to major denominations in the delegation that met with the prime minister on Sunday.

The Kerala Muslim Jamaat Council said Vajpayee's discussions with religious leaders other than those from Islam is part of a conspiracy to isolate Muslims at the national level. A statement issued by the Council said the prime minister's failure to meet Muslim leaders 'had renewed the wounds' his statement about building a temple at Ayodhya 'had inflicted on millions of Muslim hearts in the country.'

The delegation that called on the prime minister consisted of Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, Abraham Mar Clemis of the Knanya Church, Joseph Mar Iraneous, Safragon Metropolitan of the Marthoma Church and president of the Christians Conference of Asia, Kottayam Bishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnassery, Thomas Mar Divanasious and Yuhanon Mar Philaxinos, metropolitans of the Jacobite Church.

The delegation did not have Syro Malabar Major Archbishop Mar Varkey Vithaythil, Veropoly Archbishop Daniel Acharuparampil and Changanacherry Archbishop Joseph Powathil, who had taken the initiative to meet the prime minister. The heads of the Malankara and Latin rites were also conspicuous by their absence in the delegation.

Though members of the delegation said they had met Vajpayee as representatives of the Christian community and not as heads of various denominations, other leaders claim the truncated team was the result of manoeuvres by National Minority Commission member John Joseph, who has been trying to wean away a section of Christian leaders to the BJP camp.

The NMC member had drawn flak from senior Christian leaders for giving the Sangh Parivar a clean chit for the attacks on churches and Christian missionaries. John Joseph has been present in Kottayam since the prime minister arrived in Kumarakom.

Vajpayee's Vacation In Kerala: The complete coverage

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