Strengthen our foundation, lest it fall…

On Monday the 29th September 2008, in Marseilles, France the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh had addressed a joint press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy, and said, "With regard to the Christian minority in India, let me say India is a secular state. We are a country, which is multi racial, multi religious and the Constitution of India guarantees to all citizens of India the freedom and right to profess and propagate the religion of their choice. There have been sporadic incidents in some parts of our country, but our government has taken a firm position. I have myself condemned these acts as a national shame." Few hours after he spoke that Christians in India are safe, fresh violence on Christians in Khandamal, Orissa sprung out. In the early hours of Tuesday the 30th September, Dalit Christians in Rudangia village in G. Udayagiri area were attacked by the armed fundamentalists, where two people died, several injured and 100 houses were burnt.

I understand that the Prime Minister must have been right now busy in France lobbying and discussing about the Indo-French nuclear deal and would have been preparing grounds for the deal to get started. As violence on Dalit Christians goes unabated in Orissa, the prime thing that comes to the forefront on the agenda of India is to save our home first, by strengthening the foundation of secularism before planning for interior and exterior designs. Violence and violations of human rights on the religious minorities in India have been on the rise, and such grave incidents deter the foundations of Secularism and Democracy, on which India as a State and India as communities of faith are built upon. Unless our foundations of India are not strengthened, it will be difficult for us to face the challenges and tsunamis of our times. Therefore as Prime Minister spoke about Christian Minority in India and his governments firm position in addressing the incidents of violence, several concerns arouse, and herewith I would present some key concerns and would like to draw the attention of all the responsible citizens of India in challenging them towards peace building measures.

Secularism
On an international platform, when Dr. Singh spoke about the Christian minority in India, I am glad and must appreciate him for reminding the people in France that India is a secular state. However, his statement has provoked me to think further as how secular is India today? When secularism in India is made a mockery by the rising fundamentalist forces, when attacks in the name of religion is soaring high, when violence on Dalit Christians in Orissa is unabated, and when all people of faith are living in fear and terror, does our conscience really remind us that India is secular state? Yes, we are all proud of our secular ethos in India, and thanks to the Constitution, which affirms that India is a Secular state, but do you not think that only on paper India is secular, in spirit does that secular fabric with which the faiths in India are intertwined are still a reality? At a moment like this, when terrorism and violence on religious minorities are on the rise, I would like to call on the government of India to intervene pro-actively, for the sake of our proud democratic and secular values of India and seek the assistance of all people of faith and government in safeguarding the lives of religious minorities in India.

Plurality
The Prime Minister has also mentioned the texture of the Indian society, which is multi-racial and multi-religious in nature. This again ponders me to think whether the plurality of religions & cultures in India is a boon or a bane? I would assume as humans many would affirm the unity in diversity is a blessing to India. But the truth of the matter is that the forces of religious fundamentalism are trying to wipe out the plurality of faiths in India and trying to establish one monolithic and homogenous culture in the name of Hindutva? How has the government attempted in building peace among different communities in India? What efforts did the government made in keeping the multi-religious and multi-cultural rubric of India, in tact? If the government has really taken efforts in upholding the plurality of communities in India, why attacks, killings, violence, arson and vandalising the people of faith in India? How did the government of India counter the forces of Hindutva, who are on the drive of creating homogeneity of culture in India, creating confusion, violence and mistrust among people of faith? I feel that the situation of Hindutva religious fundamentalists has been chronic to be dealt on dialogue and counselling. At a time like this, I seek the government’s interference in condemning the Hindutva forces, forces that have been trying to bury the plurality in India and distorting & destroying the image of India, which has been a hub of all religions, ideologies, faiths and cultures.

Freedom to profess & propagate
The Prime Minister has also mentioned about the safeguard provided by the Indian Constitution in guaranteeing all its citizens the freedom and right to profess and propagate the religion of our choice. This statement again leads me to discuss the issues of Dalit Christian rights. When Christians of Dalit origin profess their religion in Christianity, the government curtails their status from Scheduled Castes, and denies their Constitutional rights & privileges. In the ongoing struggle for justice by Christians of Dalit origin in granting them Scheduled Caste status, despite several representations made to the highest offices, the government is still has been silent in implementing the Justice Ranganath Misra’s Commission report, which has been categorical to make Scheduled Caste status religion neutral. The Prime Minister tells the Church delegations that he has been waiting for a consensus among his coalition partners in the Government on this Dalit Christian issue, where several of his coalition partners have expressed their support in favour of Dalit Christians. I think it is high time, that the immediate action by the Government in this regard is sought after. The other issue that calls all our attentions is propagating the religion of our choice in India, which has been curtailed again by acts like the Freedom of Religion in some of the States in India. Even otherwise, the freedom to propagate a religion is either termed as ‘forceful conversions’ or ‘conversions with allurements’. I firmly believe that forceful conversions by any religion need to be condemned at its core, for such a principle is unholy & inhuman. For conversion is according to the freewill of a person, and one cannot dictate terms to the freedom of ones conscience. It is appropriate here to understand the situation in Kandhamal and other districts in Orissa, where the re-conversion drive by the Hindutva fundamental groups has been on high acceleration, and Dalit Christians in that area have been treated so inhumanly and are also even threatened, if they are not willing to re-convert from Christianity. The government needs to be bold in tackling these forces of Hindutva, who try to sabotage the secular values and the safeguards given by the Constitution of India. These forces of fundamentalist groups even try to take the law and order situation into their hands and the government machinery sing to their tunes. Stringent laws need to be brought in order to arrest such people, and committed government machinery is needed to implement these laws. Responsible citizens also need to intervene, through inter-faith approaches in making India a free country, where everyone is free to profess and propagate religion of ones choice.

Systemic Violence
I am glad that the Prime Minister has agreed that there have been sporadic incidents in some parts of our country, but our government has taken a firm position. Are the incidents of violence and attacks on Christians in India a mere sporadic, irregular and infrequent ones? The incidents of violence are more pre-planned, systemic and so regular that just to mention, from August 23rd 2008, till date violence on Dalit Christians in Orissa has been unabated with series of attacks, so planned that the main roads are blocked by cutting down trees. Not only unabated, but violence has simmered into other districts of Orissa and even to other parts of India like that of Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh etc. Time and again in Kandhamal, Orissa the reasons for violence on Christians has been attributed to the killing of Swami Lakshamananda Saraswathi even though Maoists have claimed responsibility of killing Swamiji. It was said even though the Swamiji was not killed, a series of violence is planned on Christians in Orissa, for Orissa has become the second laboratory for the Hindutva forces. On looking at the whole saga of violence on Christians in India, does it appear to be a mere sporadic and irregular incidents that are happening? Besides answering such questions one has also to feel the gravity and pain of all those that are attacked, killed, made homeless, hiding in jungles for life just because they have been Christians, which don’t you think is inhuman. It pains me to hear when the Prime Minister said, that his government has taken a firm position in the light of these cruel incidents on Christians in India. How firm was the government in addressing these incidents of violence? If the government have been really firm in their position, violence would not have spiralled thus far. The Union Home Minister who visited the violence-affected area in Orissa, only after 11 days of unabated violence has been so soft on the Hindutva fundamentalist groups, which I think reflects in a dark shade on the present governments ‘firm’ position. The State police in Orissa could not contain the violence and therefore central forces have been deployed, even then violence has not been stopped, and how can one say that government has taken firm position. When the police stations are not safe in Orissa, for they have been burnt down by the fundamentalist groups, how can we expect the people in Orissa to be safe? At this juncture, though it is not late, I would like to urge the Government to analyse the reasons of violence in the states of Orissa & Karnataka, name the perpetrators of violence and punish such people. A CBI enquiry needs to be made into all these incidents and bring out the truth in all these gruesome incidents on Christians. The state governments in Orissa & Karnataka in particular have been terribly failed, and there is no more confidence in these state governments, for they have been a mere onlookers to the violence in their states and I urge that President’s rule needs to be implemented in these states. I only see the present government’s firmness only in making statements and not in actions. Unless the government is really firm in its position particularly in the context of violence on Christians, the strong foundations of secularism becomes weaken and I think the trust the people have in the government will soon fade away.

National Shame
I also need to thank the Prime Minister for once again echoing his own words in calling these incidents on Christians as ‘national shame’. Calling the violence on Christians as ‘national shame’ in how what way it sooths the people in Kandhamal, Orissa who have been suffering in pain and bloodshed? What immediacy it has to the people affected in communal violence? I would fully agree with the Prime Minister when he termed these incidents as as ‘national shame’. Yes surely the violence on Christians by religious fundamentalist groups is a national shame; for India is know for the peace and harmony among all people of faith. My only worry is terming the violence on Christians, as ‘national shame’ has not stopped the violence in Orissa. Calling it a ‘national shame’ has no way checked the Hindutva forces, and on the contrary when the fundamentalists have further invigorated their saffron agenda of creating hatred and terror among people of minority religions, the terminology of ‘national shame’ has not come in rescue of the citizens of India. I think, unless the government implement peace measures on war footing basis in India, the Prime Minister calling the violence, as ‘national shame’ will lose its relevance. Unless, the government give up its soft attitude to the saffron ideology and forces, calling the violence as ‘national shame’ will have no meaning. Unless the government come into grips with the ground reality to the violence in India, calling the violence as ‘national shame’ will have no message. Further more let me plead in telling that unless these incidents of violence are not dealt as matters of ‘national shame’, I am afraid the fame of India will lose its character, which so far sustained to be secular in nature.

Immediate Response
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has been such a great statesman, where India and other countries are really proud of for his bold decisions and contributions for the furtherance of India into a global power. Therefore, I urge the Prime Minister to intervene pro-actively into the incidents of violence on minority religions in India and make India to be proud of its rich and varied heritage. I think at a time like this the Prime Minister and the government should be bold in legislating and executing laws for the peace and harmony in India. When secular fabric of India is restored, the democratic values will yield good fruits for the progress of India. Only when the foundations of our home India are firm, strong and unshaken, the rest will add grace and beauty to it. Let us all resolve to strengthen the foundations of secularism, for the fear that it may fall. Jai hind