CC March 1999

March 1999
Saffron Watch

Ghar vapsi offer finds few takers
A huge rally had been organised for the reconversion of 2,000 tribals of Madhya Pradesh at Dindori. Their ghar vapsi was to be a grand affair. They were to attend a special yajna and havan, each one given a janeu (sacred thread) and a garland, and then have their feet washed by BJP MP Dilip Singh Judeo. There was just one problem — instead of the promised 2000, only about 176 turned up; and, interestingly, most of this lot had never been Christians! Many of them did not even know that a reconversion ceremony was in progress. "My father asked me to attend the pooja, so I came", said one girl. Some had simply come for the free medical check–up that had been thrown into the deal. Several of the villagers who attended were to come to Dindori for other reasons and ‘reconversion’ offered them a free bus trip to the place.

The VHP activists had been scouring the area with reconversion forms in hand for quite some while. Many of the tribals had even complained that they had been forced to sign. Hindu tribals also ended up signing up for ‘reconversion’ when the VHP couldn’t find enough Christians!

Judeo, who washed the feet of those who had ‘returned to the Hindu fold’, clearly saw himself as a hero despite the low turn out. Reconversion, he said, is the "greatest public service in the national interest. Nobody, not even the army, can do a more crucial national service than what we are doing." Conversions, on the other hand, were "a part of an international Satanic conspiracy. Each year 4.5 lakh Hindus are converted to Christianity in India by the missionaries". Of his own plans, he said that his organisation had already reconverted 1,65,000 people from the tribal areas of MP, Orissa and Bihar and their target for the current year was another one lakh persons.

CM contradicts his ‘remote control’
Following the Bajrang Dal’s call for a ban on the use of loudspeakers in mosques, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray asserted on February 21 that he would issue a directive to the Narayan Rane government to this effect. If garba and dandya raas celebrations were forced to close at 11p.m., he said, then the 5a.m. call of the muezzin (the fajr azaan), too, should be subjected to the same conditions. He also cited a Calcutta high court order on the removal of loudspeakers and said the May 15 deadline set by the Bajrang Dal for removal of loudspeakers in all mosques in the country, was justified.

However, two days later, Maharashtra’s chief minister, Narayan Rane, declared that the government had no intention of banning loudspeakers in mosques. The CM said complaints about excessive noise level may be taken to a committee of representatives from the community, and they could try and convince mosque authorities not to use loudspeakers. Commenting on Thackeray’s categorical call for a ban, Rane said, "Mr. Thackeray merely said that the Bajrang Dal’s demand was right".

In the meantime, the Bajrang Dal claimed that a campaign which had been underway since December ’97 had managed to collect 1,80,000 signatures on a petition demanding the ban of loudspeakers in mosques. Deepak Gaikwad, Maharashtra state convenor also said that Bajrang Dal volunteers had started requesting local police stations not to permit the use of loudspeakers and had been successful in many places.

VHP: Disband National Minorities Commission
The National Commission for Minorities attracted the ire of the VHP in mid–February after its chairman Tahir Mahmood declared that the VHP might be getting more foreign funds than the Christian missionaries in India. "I do not think there is any community getting more foreign funds than the Hindus", he said. "It is common knowledge that the VHP is getting millions of rupees from outside."

He went on to assert that Muslims be referred to as the second largest majority in the country rather than as a minority. "Muslims are not just a minority like the Christians or Parsis or Sikhs. Their population in the country is more than double the population of UK and France put together and four times that of Canada. How can you treat it as an insignificant minority?"

The VHP, angered by the allegations of receiving more foreign funds than the Christian missionaries in the country, first called for the chairman’s resignation on ground of his being "rabidly communal" and then went on to demand the disbanding of the commission itself. Senior VHP leader, Giriraj Kishore, asserted that the government should wind up the NCM and instead give more powers to the National Human Rights Commission so as to ensure "equitable justice to all". The BJP too called for the resignation of NCM chairman if he wished to act "like the representative of a particular community".

In response to these demands, Tahir Mahmood asserted that the NCM enjoyed a statutory status and could not be summarily disbanded. Setting aside the VHP allegations of communalism, he said, "It is their way of saying that I am working the way I should be working. I am more interested in knowing what the rest of the nation has to say about my work. I am faithfully discharging my duties."

Mahmood has also called for disbanding the West Bengal Minorities Commission as he claimed it was virtually defunct. "One wouldn’t know if the Commission exists. The members have never got in touch with us." Mahmood was in the state to study the minorities’ situation. He said that though there was no violence against the Muslims in the state, the state government’s role in developing them had been very disappointing. "The state government protects the minorities but doesn’t believe in helping them grow. In many areas, the minorities are living in inhuman conditions, they are educationally and economically backward."

Church funding insurgency: Advani
Advani has joined the VHP and Bajrang Dal in allegations against missionaries of funding insurgency in the North–east. Advani alleged in the Lok Sabha on March 9, that certain international church bodies were known to be providing funds to insurgent groups in the North–east in the garb of humanitarian aid. He however added that there was no evidence to show that the funds were being diverted by the militants towards purchasing arms. Many of these Church bodies were head–quartered in the UK, US, the Netherlands and Germany, Advani added vaguely. These countries are in any case the bases of most Churches involved in international missionary work. The allegation establishes a direct link between the Church and the insurgency in the North–east. It is interesting to note however, that in Manipur, where insurgency is greatest, the comparative ratio of Christians in the region is the least.

And while the government blames the Church for insurgency, the navy and army are blaming the government. Just two days before Advani’s announcement in the Lok Sabha, defence minister, George Fernandes had come under attack for having issued an order to the Navy in July, not to intercept suspect vehicles without first gaining clearance from the defence ministry. Senior defence officials had said the order was absurd as there was no time for prior approval in such operations. As a result of the order however, at least three ships carrying illegal arms had reached the insurgents in the North–east. The order was toned down after defence officials met Fernandes and protested against it. The army has also recently complained that they were being prevented from taking conclusive action against the rebels in the North–east, since the ministry was to be consulted prior to any ‘sensitive operation’.

‘J&K moving towards normalcy’
Home minister, L.K. Advani reiterated in the Lok Sabha on March 9 that Kashmir "is an integral part of India and there can be no compromise on it at any point of time." Advani’s comments were in response to a motion moved by T. Subbarami Reddy of the Congress, on the situation arising out of the massacre of 22 Hindus in Rajouri and Udhampur districts of Jammu, at the hands of militants on February 20. Advani said the killings, which coincided with the PM’s visit to Pakistan were designed to provoke communal disturbances in the area in view of the visit. He went on to declare that fewer number of persons from the state itself were joining the militants while last year, 999 militants were killed and a large number apprehended. "J&K is moving towards normalcy," he asserted. He also said the government intended to wage a relentless battle against militancy in the state and would simultaneously try to improve relations with Pakistan.

‘Year of Christ’ plan scrapped
The year 2000 is no longer to be the ‘Year of Christ’ in India. Union human resources development minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, reportedly persuaded the Prime Minister in the first week of March that India should, instead, take a lead from the UN, and as announced by it, observe the year 2000 as the ‘Year of the Culture of Peace’. In his letter to the PM, Joshi argued that since the issue of conversions had become a major point of debate in the charged atmosphere of the day, the earlier proposal would only aggravate matters. He also pointed out that it was inappropriate to select one religion for such treatment in a secular country. The move to declare 2000 as the ‘Year of Christ’ had been ratified at a Union cabinet meeting two months ago, while reports of attacks on Christians poured in. The move was meant to establish the government’s secular credentials in view of the nationwide criticism it was facing for inaction. Joshi had opposed the move even then, saying that it was unnecessary as Christianity was not a religion of Indian origin. The Sangh Parivar had also strongly disapproved of the move. Some cabinet members have, however, reportedly opposed the change in plan, pointing out that the government had only recently celebrated 2,550 years of Buddhism with fortnight long celebrations at Sarnath, well–attended by BJP top leaders.

In the mean time, the VHP, scoffing at preparations for celebrating the dawn of the 21st century, has decided instead to celebrate the beginning of the 52nd century on March 18 as per the Hindu calendar with great pomp and show.