Kharge too Supports Moily’s Demand for CBI Probe into Church Attacks
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Jan 31: Senior Congress leader and Union Labour Minister Mallikarjuna M Kharge has also demanded a CBI probe into the Church attacks in Mangalore, Udupi, Bangalore and other districts in September 2008 to instill confidence in the minority Christian community about the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP Government’s sincerity and impartiality.
It may be recalled that Union Law Minister and former Karnataka Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily has demanded a CBI probe into the Church attacks expressing his utter dismay and unhappiness at the clean chit given by the Somashekar judicial inquiry Commission to the Yeddyurappa regime, the ruling BJP and the Sangh Parivar.
Kharge, who was the chief guest at the largely attended annual Federation Day function of the Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations of Karnataka in Bangalore on Sunday, January 30 said the Yeddyurappa regime should not shy away from ordering a CBI probe especially after its contention that neither the Government nor the ruling party had anything to do with the Church attacks.
``The CBI probe will nail the guilty. If the Government or the ruling party has nothing to do with the Church attacks, they need not have any fears about ordering the CBI inquiry,” Kharge said pointing out that the attacks on Churches was an attack not only on the Christian minority community but also the poor and oppressed sections, who owed a lot to the Christian missionaries for their pioneering work in the fields of education, health-care and social upliftment.
The Union Minister conferred the prestigious Federation Awards for the year 2010 to leading philanthropist Ronald Colaco (Entrepreneur with a Social Conscience), leading oncologist and surgeon Dr Antony V Pais (Professional Excellence) and noted Kannada and Kokani scholar Rev Fr Prashanth Madtha (Lifetime Achievement). The Gulbarga Bishop Rev Dr Robert Michael Miranda presided over the function, while Karnataka’s Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani and KPCC President Dr G Parameshwara were the guests of honour.
Withdraw cases against innocent Christian youth
Kharge said it was surprising that the Somashekar Commission, which had indicated that it had a strong suspicion on the involvement of Bhajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar outfits in its interim report submitted to the government in February last year, should take a completely different stand in its final report submitted after a year.
``The Commission has failed to identify the guilty and has come out with vague findings,” he said pointing out that a CBI probe was the only solution to allay suspicions of the Christian minority community and also to ensure that the minority community and other sections of society did not lose faith in judges and the judicial inquiries conducted by them.
The Union Minister urged Karnataka’s Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani to prevail upon the Chief Minister to ensure that all the cases filed against innoncent Christian youngsters following the Church attacks for their spontaneous reaction. ``For a Government which withdrew large number of cases against farmers, students and other sections during various agitations, withdrawal of cases against innocent Christian youth involved in the various incidents was not a great task. All it needs a decision and political will from the Chief Minister. Murugesh Nirani is the right person to convince Yeddyurappa,” he said.
``Country needs more good Christians”
Kharge said in a lighter vein that Christians were perhaps responsible for their reduced numbers because of their strict observance of family planning. ``I am speaking in a selfish interest, because the reduced number of Christians due to their strict observance of family planning meant lesser number of people of good character, upbringing, discipline and a determination to work for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden sections. I feel the country, especially the poorer sections and dalits need larger number of people of goodwill and good character like Christians,” he said warmly appreciating the pioneering work of Christian missionaries in the fields of education, healthcare and social service.
KPCC President Dr G Parameshwar lauded the pioneering work of Christian missionaries throughout the country in educating the poor, downtrodden and oppressed sections of society. He said the Somashekar Commission report did not inspire the confidence of the people in such judicial inquiries as the series of Church attacks after the BJP came to power under Yeddyurappa was an attack on society.
The Christian educational and healthcare institutions had peformed yeomen service to mankind and Indian society by educating the poor, dalits and downtrodden, who would otherwise have continued in darkness and ignorance even in the 21st century when the country was emerging as a global superpower.
Nirani Promises to help innocent Christian youth
Large and Medium Industry Minister Murugesh R Nirani promised to take up with the Chief Minister to ensure that cases registered against all the innocent persons in connection with the Church attacks were withdrawn at the earliest possible. ``I will ensure that injustice will not be done to the Christian youth and falsely implicated cases will be withdrawn. I will take up your issue in the state cabinet meeting,” he said pointing out that he was impressed by the pioneering work of the Christians in the education, healthcare and social service fields.
Nirani paid rich compliments to the three eminent Konkani personalities, who were conferred the three special awards, and said the recognition given to such persons was an example for the youth to emulate them and contribute to the growth and development of society. He said the Chief Minister and the BJP government was sympathetic to the cause of minorities, especially Christians, and declared that he would champion their issues.
Gulbarga Bishop Rev Dr Robert Miranda, in his presidential address, said Hindus, Muslims and Christians should live in complete harmony and work together for the progress of the country without trying to exploit each other. Christians or other minorities need not be scared because of their numerical size because it is not the number but the quality and character that counts. ``Christians should be like the salt of the earth and light of the world emulating the example of Jesus and his teachings,” he said.
Guilty should have been identified & Punished: Bishop
Referring to the Somashekar judicial inquiry commission’s report, the Bishop said the Christians, who were aggrieved party in the Church attacks, were completely disappointed and felt totally let down. ``Instead of coming out with the truth and identifying the guilty, the commission has failed to discharge its duties. The guilty should be identified and punished so that such heinous crimes did not recur. Otherwise, people and law-abiding citizens like Christians will lose faith in the judiciary, especially judges and inquiry commissions,” he said.
The Bishop disclosed that Nirani, who sat next to him at the function, had personally assured him to ensure that the cases registered against Christian youth in the Church attacks would be withdrawn within a month.
Govt should withdraw the cases against the young Christian boys : Colaco
Ronald Colaco, in his speech after accepting the award, set the tone for the speeches by Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and KPCC President Dr Parameshwar, when he referred to the injustice done to the Christian community despite its contribution to the development of the State and the country through their educational and healthcare institutions.
Recalling the promises made by the Chief Minister, Dr V S Acharya, when he was Home Minister, and other senior party leaders including L K Advani, when he attended a Konkani function in Mangalore recently, regarding withdrawal of the cases against innocent Christian youth in connection with the church attacks after the Somashekar commission’s report was received. ``The report has now been submitted to the Government. Though the commission has not done justice to the Christians, the government should take immediate steps to withdraw the cases against the young Christian boys as otherwise their life and career would be ruined. They are suffering in having to regularly attend court cases and are unable to even get passports or go abroad for jobs or higher studies,” he said.
Colaco pointed out that the government had withdrawn cases against various other sections and the same gesture must be shown to innocent Christian youth, which was strongly supported by Kharge and Dr Parameshwar. The large and medium industry minister Murugesh Nirani was forced to respond and promise to take up the issue with the Chief Minister and see that the cases against innocent Christian youth were withdrawn.
He expressed his deep anguish at the insinuations and unfounded allegations of conversions against Christians. Christian missionaries had pioneered in the field of education, healthcare and social service more than 100 or even 150 years earlier, when education was denied to Dalits and other downtrodden sections of society, he said the Christian population should have reached enormous proportions if their over 24,000 educational institutions and hospitals were to carry out conversions. However, the population of Christians had come down by over 1 % in the 2001 census as compared to the figure in the 1991 census.`` This should dispel any lurking suspicions against Christians on the conversion issue,” he said.
FKCA Chairman Valerian Fernandes welcomed. FKCA General Secretary Philomena Pereira presented a report. KCA President Bertha Fernandes proposed a vote of thanks, while Albina Vaz, past vice chairperson of FKCA, ably compered the entire programme in English, Kannada and Konkani.