Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has urged his Cabinet colleagues to do something tangible for the Christian community and thereby undo the damage caused by isolated attacks on Christian missionaries in some parts of the country in the past year.The Prime Minister has entrusted this mission partially to Union Minister of state for Law, Justice and Company Affairs O Rajagopal.That Rajagopal has volunteered to address himself seriously to the longstanding grievances of the Christian community with regard to discriminatory provisions in the Christian Succession and Divorce acts during his very first visit to his home state of Kerala as Central Minister, reflects the concern of the party to get close to the Christian community.According to party sources, the BJP's package to the community also includes appointment of Christians to some keyCentral posts which may materialise soon. Rajagopal's senior Cabinet colleague Ram Jethmalani has already agreed to consider the demand of church leaders for inclusion of the Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Caste list. However, this measure is unlikely to take off since the Sangh Parivar and Scheduled Castes organisations are vehemently opposed to it.

Rajagopal came through the first two legs of his visits to the state as the quintessential Vajpayee man by his non-confrontationist attitude towards the CPM-led government in the state, reassuring minorities and laying emphasis on developmental politics. Notably, in his public pronouncements, he gave full marks to Vajpayee for successfully handling the Pope's visit even at the political risk of detaining protesting Shiv Sainiks. He also made it a point to highlight the fact that the Vajpayee Government had raised the number of Muslims permitted to join the Haj pilgrimage from 91,000 to 1.25 lakh.

Rajagopal no doubt touched the right chord in Christiancircles in the state by volunteering to review the discriminatory provisions in the Succession and Divorce Acts. However, given the ground realities, it is not going to be an easy task for him to evolve a consensus on these contentious issues.

In its landmark judgment in the famous Mary Roy case delivered on February 24, 1986, the Supreme Court had repealed the Travancore Cochin Christian Succession Act 1092 and made the Indian Succession Act 1925 applicable to the Christian community. But the retrospective effect given by the apex court to its order from 1951 led to a flood of litigation which the community found difficult to cope with.

Thereafter, there has been a clamour from the community, especially Syrian Christians in Travancore-Cochin areas, to do away with retrospective effect to the Supreme Court ruling and give it only prospective effect.But sections in the community who would stand to benefit from the retrospective effect are unlikely to be enthused by the Minister's initiative.

Thegrievance with regard to the Indian Divorce Act 1869 is that it denies Christian women the same right to divorce as enjoyed by other religious communities such as the Hindus who have their own personal laws governing divorce. Under this Act, divorce is permitted only under certain extreme conditions.

Here again, Rajagopal is likely to meet with opposition from the conservative sections of the community who want the canon law to prevail and effect divorce only through the church machinery. In fact, it is precisely in view of the divergent views prevailing in the community on questions of succession and divorce that all political parties, except the Kerala Congress, have kept their hands off it. The state government too has been treating it like a hot potato and has not followed up a High Court directive to remove the provisions in the Act discriminatory to Christian women. The BJP, has therefore, taken a calculated risk by offering to confront the issue head-on.

Rajagopal's consensual approach has beenappreciated by leaders of different Christian denominations. He received representations from various Christian organisations, individuals and church functionaries during his recent visit to Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts. He proposes to meet more Christian leaders on the issue during his next to the state commencing November 13.