Bangalore: Brinda, Patkar Demand CBI Enquiry into Church Attacks
News: Melwyn Pinto SJ, Pics: Prachi Gupta, Hepsibah Rosario
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Oct 7: National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) leader Medha Patkar and CPI (M) politburo member Brinda Karat have demanded a CBI enquiry into the Church attacks in Orissa and Karnataka.
They were addressing a massive rally organised under the banner ‘Save Democracy Save Secularism’ by Bangalore Citizen’s Initiative here on Monday.
Patkar said that it was the strategic plan of BJP to create a vote bank in all the states where it was in power. “There has not been a single forcible conversion. It is a clever poly of the Sangh Parivar to annihilate all other religions in India. Nurturing one’s cultural traits is everybody’s right. Those who want to negate such right have no place in India,” she said.
Patkar further added that secularism did not only mean ‘giving equal status to all religions’ (sarva dharma samabhava); it also meant being tolerant to other religions which the BJP and its affiliated militant organisations were systematically trying to destroy. “Freedom of religion basically is a freedom of conscience which our constitution upholds. No one has the right to question when someone wants to follow his or her conscience,” she re-iterated.
CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat said that there had been partisan approach as regards dealing with terrorists. “Those who infuse fear among people in the name of religion, destroy places of worship, rape and kill people are all terrorists. They all should be punished. Both the Central Government and the State governments have failed miserably in dealing strongly with such terrorising outfits,” she said.
Karat came heavily on the hypocrisy of the BJP which raised the conversion issue. “Real forcible conversion is taking place in Kandhamal in the name of Ghar Vapasi where innocent poor people are terroried to forego Christianity and join Hinduism. The state government has become a mute a spectator to their misery which is unfortunate,” she lamented.
All India Christian Council (AICC) president John Dayal held that protecting and defending Christians in India was the duty of all Indians. He sought all people of the country with secular mindset to give protection to minorities.
“There has been a conspiracy going on to wipe out Christianity from India. In Rajasthan they have a plan to throw out Christians by 2010. Similar is the situation in Kandhamal. But they will never succeed in their sinister designs, as all Christian bodies are united and we have great faith in our secular democratic State, “ Dayal said.
Earlier a massive rally of over five thousand people took a procession from the Government Arts College to Jakkarayana Kere. In a rare expression of solidarity, as many as 48 civil associations took active part in the rally.