Caution prevails in Tamil Nadu with a new government installed

(May 24, 2011) Christian leaders in the southern India’s Tamil Nadu state are looking to the future with caution, after new members of Tamil Nadu’s legislative assembly took their oath on Monday. Last week, J. Jayalalithaa of AIADMK party was sworn in as state chief minister. Her party and its allies won, dethroning their rival the DMK party. Jayalalithaa says the vote was in support of her party’s policies. As she settles in to address the key issues that affect Tamil Nadu, Christians hope their issues will also receive some attention.
The Church tried to play a neutral role in the elections. “This time we chose not to express openly which party we were for. We chose to publish a report card and let people decide who to vote for,” said Fr. Xavier Arulraj, head of the Legal Cell of Madras-Mylapore archdiocese. Fr. James Victor of Tuticorin, a key member of a socio-political movement, said Christians went with the prevailing mood and voted against the DMK. “But we will need to watch how Jayalalithaa runs her government,” he added.