Calcutta, Feb. 2: Christians in
India have not been included in the mainstream political discourse
despite substantial contributions to society and sustained efforts in
nation-building, a national council of Protestant churches said today.
“Some people still
think we are not Indians…. Christians are not present in the political
discourse of mainstream parties today. Despite helping give the country
some of the finest schools, colleges and hospitals, our efforts in
nation-building and contributions towards society have been overlooked,”
said Bishop Taranath S. Sagar, president of the National Council of
Churches in India.
Kicking off its
year-long centenary celebrations from Calcutta on Sunday, the council
also referred to the Bengal government’s decision to provide doles to
Muslim clerics. “If the government is handing honorariums to Muslim
clerics, I would request the chief minister to also extend the
honorariums to Christians as well. This act (giving doles to one
particular community) is simply pleasing a section of society for
votes,” Bishop Sagar said in response to a question after a news
conference at Calcutta Boys’ School in the afternoon.
The Mamata Banerjee government gives an honorarium of Rs 2,500 a month to imams and Rs 1,000 a month to muezzins in Bengal.
The council is an
ecumenical body of 30 Protestant and Orthodox churches across India and a
slew of Christian councils and organisations.
It is the second
largest body of churches in the country and includes the Church of North
India and Church of South India as member churches. Nearly 50 per cent,
about 12 million of the total Christian population of 25 million in
India, are Protestants.
Calcutta was
chosen as the first stop in a series of countrywide celebrations because
on February 2, 1914, it was at the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian
Association) building on S.N. Banerjee Road that the body held its first
meeting and formed a council.
The celebrations
will move to Aizawl, Hyderabad and Mumbai among other cities in the
coming months and culminate at the headquarters in Nagpur in November.
As the centenary
year coincides with the Lok Sabha polls, the council articulated its
concerns. The existing political establishment, it felt, had failed to
acknowledge or address the needs and aspirations of the Christian
community and largely overlooked its contributions to the nation.
 |
| The YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) building at Corporation Place (now SN Banerjee Road) in Calcutta played host to church leaders and missionaries from across the country on February 2, 1914, where they held their first meeting and formed a council. On Sunday, the National Council of Churches in India chose Calcutta as the first stop to kick off their countrywide centenary celebrations, which will culminate in November at their headquarters in Nagpur. Picture by Anup Bhattacharya |
 |
| Bishop Taranath S Sagar (third from left), the president of the National Council of Churches in India, at the media conference at Calcutta Boys’ School on Sunday. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta |
The council lamented that the term “minority” had become synonymous with just one community, overshadowing the others.
“If we look historically,
Christians are the true minorities… but today (the word) ‘minority’ has
become attached with just one community. There is no Protestant
representation in Parliament from West Bengal,” said Suman J. Biswas,
vice-president of the council.
Accusing
politicians of consistently using religion for political gains, the
council rued how issues like poverty had remained sidelined and
religious minorities had rarely been acknowledged as anything but a vote
bank.
Speaking on the
community’s preferences for the upcoming elections, the Bishop said in
response to a question that Christians were “highly divided” in their
opinion on Narendra Modi.
“Modi played the
development card in Gujarat and is playing the same card nationally now.
But even if he becomes the Prime Minister and acts secular, he might
face pressure from the lower cadres of the party. We are highly divided
in our opinion of Modi and I cannot make one general statement on behalf
of the Christians. Christians have traditionally been followers of the
Congress… but it might be time for some change,” Bishop Sagar said.
He added that the
council did not “endorse any particular party”. “We need a leader who is
strong and understands the needs of the minorities and works for
grass-roots development,” the Bishop said.
The theme of the
celebrations “towards integral mission and grassroots ecumenism” was
explained as one that was aimed at motivating people to go back to the
grassroots of the society and work towards its development.
“In recent times,
the development of the country has only been measured by political
parties in terms of bridges, high-rises and metro rails. Grassroots
development of the marginalised has remained neglected and that is why
growth has not been uniform,” said Reverend Sunil Raj Philip, the
executive secretary of the council.
The news conference was followed by a worship service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the evening.
Click here for link
