Kerala MPs, led by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a protest in Parliament today against the arrest of two Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. Notably absent from today’s demonstration was senior party leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, who had joined his Kerala colleagues in a similar protest just yesterday.
During yesterday’s rally in the Parliament complex, Tharoor held a placard reading “India for all, proud to be one” and told the media, “The nuns are innocent; they must be released. There should not be mob rule in the country. This is the government’s responsibility.” In contrast, today’s protest was led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who condemned the Chhattisgarh police for “manhandling” the nuns and accused the state government of targeting religious minorities.
Tharoor’s absence has fueled talk of growing tensions between him and the Congress high command. The former diplomat, celebrated for his oratory skills, was conspicuously left off the party’s list of speakers during the recent Operation Sindoor debate—an omission seized upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. Party insiders suggest that when approached to participate, Tharoor declined to “toe the party line,” insisting he would not contradict his own publicly stated views merely for the sake of party messaging.
In recent months, Tharoor has drawn criticism from within the Congress for praising the BJP government’s swift response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He has repeatedly emphasized that his “first loyalty” is to the nation, not any political party, arguing that parties are simply “a means of making the nation better” in their own ways. His remarks reportedly clashed with the Congress leadership’s efforts to confront the government over allegations of intelligence failures and the sudden ceasefire called by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Background on the Nuns’ Arrest
Last week, two Kerala-based Catholic nuns traveling through Chhattisgarh’s Durg station were apprehended by local authorities after Bajrang Dal activists accused them of trafficking three minor tribal girls under the guise of offering jobs and education. They have since been charged under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (human trafficking) and under the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act (forced conversion). The arrests have prompted outrage from opposition parties, Christian organizations, and even the BJP’s Kerala unit, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar calling for the nuns’ immediate release and safe return.
