AI Christian Housewife turns up heat on Congress, LDF ahead of polls
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the first phase of local body elections only days away, Sangh Parivar strategists have launched an AI-driven outreach campaign targeting Christian voters. The initial phase of polling, scheduled for December 9, will cover seven districts with substantial Christian populations such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Ernakulam. The AI-generated campaign video circulated discreetly, accuses the Congress of neglecting the Christian community and the LDF of appeasement politics. Though the video did not claim any authorship, apparently to avoid any potential election code violation, it elaborates on why sections of the Christian community are beginning to view the BJP more favourably. In the video, an AI-generated Christian housewife alleges that following the deaths of senior leaders K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy, and K M Mani along with the withdrawal of A K Antony from active politics, the community has become orphaned. The video claims that the declining Christian population, youth migration and the vacant homes have deepened the communitys insecurity. The Congress is even objecting to EWS (Economically weaker section) reservation for Christians. Congress did not raise a finger when a Bishop was manhandled, it said. It further questions Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan for what it describes as his justification of Jamaat-e-Islami, while highlighting issues such as the Munambam waqf land dispute and the hijab row at a school run by a Christian management. It asserts that BJP alone stood by the community in these matters. In Kerala, the RSS is also said to be playing a key role through long-term social engineering aimed at fostering closer ties with Christian community. A senior leader told TNIE on condition of anonymity that the RSS has been holding discussions with Church representatives for over three years. The church and RSS have decided not to publicise these dialogues. This is an extension of the engagement that began when K S Sudarshan was the Sarsanghchalak. The current Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, declared in Bengaluru in November first week that the RSS would initiate dialogues to end divisions in society. Discussions are under way with all sections, including Pentecostal groups, he said. According to him, while RSS was represented in these talks by its official functionaries, the Church participated through trusted community leaders to avoid political controversy. We have now asked our cadres to actively reach out to the Christian community. In turn, the Church is encouraging its laity to reassess its perception about RSS, he added. A senior BJP office-bearer said, through the references in the video, the party is positioning itself as the only credible alternative for Christian voters. In Thiruvananthapuram we are close to seizing power, he said. In Kollam and Alappuzha districts, we will have good advancement in Karunagappally and Kayamkulam respectively. The outreach programme and the confidence we have built with the Churches are expected to reflect in Kottayam, Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam as well. The BJP has fielded the maximum number of Christian candidates in the local body polls outperforming the Congress and Kerala Congress parties. However, various churches denied while some declined to speak about the dialogue between them and RSS.
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