The election in Delhi has just been concluded and according to the latest Exit Polls prediction, AAP will get the majority. This sudden change in voters decision in favour of AAP surfaced according to one source in Delhi only because of the recent attacks on the Churches there and an arrest of priests and nuns in an inhuman and undignified manner by the BJP government machiney while they were demonstrating peacefully. Peaceful demonstration is the right of the citizens to oppose the government’s decision of its failure to check injustice meted out to the citizens. This is what exactly the Christians have done in Delhi a few days back. It is said that not only the minorities got united to teach a very good lesson to the BJP’s brutality but also the majority members joined the minorities to oppose the BJP. Unnecessary harassment for Christians will never go unpunished because Christians are peaceful people in India, even their protests against injustice are organized decently and peacefully.
It was horrible to see how the Nuns and Priests manhandled by the Delhi Police. The whole blame for this brutality should go on the shoulders of BJP. The main purpose of BJP in India is to liquidate minorities especially the Christians because BJP is jealous of the good work the Christians are doing in the service of humanity. What good work Christians are doing the BJP cannot do. I hope the echo of Delhi election will be heard in Panjim in the forthcoming election. Christians in Panjim and other minorities residing there must emulate the example of Delhi voters.
I feel it is right time now for the Goan Christians to show our solidarity with the persecuted Christians in Delhi especially those Nuns and Priests handled and treated badly by the Delhi Police. I also feel the Goa Church leadership at Altinho Panaji must without any fear give the lead openly to stand by our harassed brothers and sisters in Delhi by organizing a public Rally followed by a Public Meeting in Panjim. Let Goa Church come forward and indicate its concern for what it is happening in Delhi. At this critical hour we cannot remain immune to the suffering our Christians are undergoing in Delhi.
A few years back when Christians in North India were harassed and the Steines family members were burnt alive, we the Goan Catholics in Kuwait met the Maltese Bishop of Kuwait and briefed him of the tragic events happening in India against the Christians. Since I was the leading man to talk to Bishop on this topic, I noticed how deeply the Bishop of Kuwait felt about the tragic happenings in India. Then to our request he immediately agreed to organize a public meeting in Solidarity with the persecuted Christians in India, in the Church Hall (big) which was attended in big number even by the international community members and media that brought this news to the eyes of the world. Besides the Bishop of Kuwait, Indian Ambassador also attended and addressed this meeting indicating his total solidarity with the persecuted Indian Chrisitians in India. We Goan Catholics were the only Christian community in Kuwait to raise our voice on this topic.
Since a Maltese Bishop of Kuwait took such a bold decision to show his solidarity openly with the persecuted Christians in India, I feel it is not difficult for our Bishop in Goa to emulate the example of Kuwait Bishop. As it is, it is given to understand that the Goa Bishop is much leaning towards BJP in general and Parrikar in particular. It is time for him now to show his real colours, i.e whether he is with anti-Christian BJP or with his Christianity.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.