Hinduism
Hindu-Christian Riots in Andhra Pradesh
Dt: 30/9/16
Hindu-Christian Riots in Andhra Pradesh
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
Our country is familiar with Hindu Muslim riots over the centuries, especially from the Khilafat movement (1919 - 1921) onwards. They did not cease even after partition of the country and creation of the Islamic state of Pakistan in 1947. While many efforts by many well- meaning people like Gandhiji and Nehru had been made to forge brotherhood and common nationhood between Hindus and Muslims, riots took place for some reason or the other. What is now emerging is the imminence and incipient rise of Hindu -Christian riots because of aggressive, large scale, internationally financed and directed missionary activity to convert Hindus, especially SCs, STs and other under -informed sections of the population. What is disturbing is that the converts are advising the converted not to disclose the fact of their conversion for any government record. The idea is that reservations and special welfare measures and affirmative programs of the government to better the lot of Hindu SCs and STs could be availed of by the converted, by hiding the fact of conversion. That this is going on a very large scale is evident from the proportion of Christian population in the whole of India, despite two centuries of missionary activities hovering at about 2.5% even as tens of thousands of new Churches have been coming up all over the country. In the two Telugu speaking states of the former undivided Andhra Pradesh, the Christian population and their proportion to the total population of the state have been coming down, decade after decade, as recorded in the census of India ( please see table below)
Christian Population in Andhra Pradesh
|
|
Year |
||||
|
|
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
2011 |
|
Total population (mln) |
43.5 |
53.6 |
66.5 |
76.2 |
84.5 |
|
Christians (mln) |
1.8 |
1.43 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.1 |
|
% of Christian population |
4.19 |
2.68 |
1.83 |
1.44 |
1.38 |
Source: Census of India
2. And this decline is in total contradiction of facts on the ground. For eg: in almost every village in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, there are 2 to 15 Churches of different Christian denominations. About 50,000 Churches had come up since 2004. What is disturbing is that when Dr Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, a Christian was the Chief Minister (2004-2009), he created the A.P State Christian Minority Finance Corporation (APSCMFC) was created as distinct from the already existing A.P State Minority Finance Corporation (APSCMFC), confining the later to Muslims . This newly created Christian Minority Finance Corporation is getting funds from the Minority Welfare Department of the government and those funds come from the budget; that is, the tax revenues of the state . This Christians Corporation put a public notice inviting applications from Christians for construction of Churches for which purpose it would gift Rs. 3 lakhs per Church. From information received under RTI, 671 Churches were constructed as of 2014 from government funds disbursed by the APSCMFC. Besides, this Corporation has also been giving Rs. 25,000 for every Christian going to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. All these monies are from the taxes paid by people to the secular state .
3. On a PIL petition, the Hyderabad High Court stayed the disbursement of government funds for Church construction and for subsidies to Christian pilgrimages. The state government went on appeal to the Supreme Court which returned the petition to the High Court with instruction that it “dispose it quickly”. And that was four years ago. The petition has not been disposed off and the state funds are being given for promotion of Christianity in the Telugu States.
4. In the year 2000, various Christian organisations from all over the world came together to launch Project Joshua. According to this, irrespective of whether there is any request or not; whether there is Christian population or not, Churches are planted within cycling distance that is, every 10 kmts; after this target is achieved, then they are to be planted within walking distance that is, 5 kmts. Both these phases of planting Churches had been competed in the two Telugu states. In the third and final phase Churches are being planted within the hearing distance that is, amidst residences of the general public itself. It is this activity of the missions which is now becoming the cause for great disturbance, strife and sometimes, riots already.
5. The missionary enterprises send groups of canvassers including women with literature and photos into the homes of Hindus, uninvited and if this type of trespass is objected, it is leading to quarrels and sometimes, to violence. The canvassers frequently invoke the Prevention of Atrocities Against STs and SCs Act . They go to the police station and say that they are SCs and so and so people, in such and such a house or in such groups have abused them by their caste and therefore they must be arrested. These canvassers are hiding the fact that they are converts. These activities are what are leading to strife between the converts and Hindus.
6. Another reason for strife is that in villages, these Churches are broadcasting Christian songs and hymns and talks from loud speakers at different times of the day and night. In some villages, some Hindus are counter -blasting through loud speakers; they are broadcasting their songs and this contest is leading to quarrels, disturbance and mutual hatred and fights.
7. In the year 2005, Christian Missions have launched Project Salonica . According to this the missionary activists are targeting :
a) Sculptors and masons and other craftsmen whose traditional vocation is temple construction . If this class of people are converted, then there would, in course of time be scarcity or non-existence of talents and therefore, construction of new temples itself will come to a halt.
b) Another activity is to convert the boat- men and other people in Varanasi, Gaya and other towns where Hindu pilgrims go to give tarpan and perform theerdha yathras. The idea is that if such people are converted, Hindu visitors to the theerdhas would find no service men and so the tradition would cease.
c) A third activity is to file cases with government and judicial courts against conduct of Melas (congregations) like Kumbha Mela; Godavari, Krishna, Ganga Pushkarams. They raise the issue of environmental pollution and petition the National Green Tribunal–NGT to prohibit and penalise such Melas.
8. Before India adopted the Republican Constitution, there were no legal rights for proselytisation. But after the Constitution has been adopted, the right to profess, practise and propagate religion enshrined in the Constitution is interpreted as giving them a right to convert, on the reasoning that propagation is meaningless if it does not lead to conversion.
9. In the 1950s, the Madhya Pradesh government appointed the Js. Niyogi Commission to go into innumerable complaints that missionaries are converting SCs and STs by fraud, inducement and even force. Acting upon the Js Niyogi Commission Report, governments of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and others enacted laws which prohibit conversion by fraud, inducement and force etc. But just like many other laws, these are not being implemented sincerely and effectively. Therefore, large scale conversion has been going on.
10. In the two Telugu states, the SC converts to Christianity are placed in BC category. Hindu BCs are therefore deprived of what is due to them by these converts to Christianity. The Hindu SCs feel that they are doubly cheated by the converts who are not disclosing the fact of conversion, and those who disclose their conversion getting benefit from the BC reservations, depriving the Hindu BCs to that extent. In the two Telugu states many MPs , MLAs and even Ministers elected from constitution reserved for SCs are indeed converts. Some are even pastors. Complaints to government and Election Commsison are dismissed because these people have declared on oath that they are Hindu SCs. Their names like William, James betray the fact of conversion. So does their going to church. These coverts are not entered in the Baptism register of Churches. Even if the fact of their Church going and display of all Christians attributes are mentioned, they are held to be insufficient evidence to prove that they converted to Christianity.
11. What is worse, since the Hindu temples are under government management and administration of the Endowment Department and the TTD, SC converts by hiding the fact of conversion, are becoming employees in Hindu’s temples and their administration; as Executive Officers and other ranks. These people have become the Fifth Colum of the missionaries. Extensive alienation and encroachment of temple lands and other properties in favour of Christians and their NGOs are facilitated by this fifth column. Shops on temple properties are given out to Christians masquerading as Hindus SCs.
12. This large scale fraud and misappropriation of government schemes and temple lands and wealth is infuriating Hindus. A number of their organisations are moving to resist this large scale fraud and offensive propaganda. This resistance is portrayed as intolerance and violence against Christians especially by the leftist media within the country and Christian publications and radio and TV in the US and in some European countries. In the Telugu states, Tamilndu, Karnataka, Kerala the activity of the missionaries is causing great disquiet. Anger among Hindus is building up and resistance movements are coming up. Hindus may go by what Edmond Burke said: “Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions than ruined by two confident a security”. It is absolutely necessary that the state governments should appoint Niyogi type Commissions to inquire into missionary and their NGOs activity and the consequent emergence of strife and riots.
13. Governments must keep off Hindu temples as they keep off from Churches ,mosques and Gurudwaras. Temples must be reverted to Hindus’ management by an appropriate Act so that their resources can be utilised for the defence, practice and preservation of Hinduism and the predators’ aggressions can be effectively repulsed. Governments run by political parties competing for “minority” votes are disabling Hindus from protecting their Hindu Dharma by their unscrupulous, discriminatory control and administration of temples. This is another matter which adds fuel tote fire of anger of Hindus. It would be most unfortunate if India experiences Hindu-Christian riots too. (1,651 words)
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