Christianization of Andhra Pradesh and

Politicians chasing Christian votebank

December 29th 2007
From: ivarta.com Date: 29.12.07
http://69.36.167.209/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/nll/20071229014802/

Thursday, 27 December 2007

source: Eenadu , December 26, 2007

Due to rampant Christianization of southern state of Andhra Pradesh, Indian

politicians who are known for their low ethics and morals are chasing the Christian
votebank. On the other side the evangelical groups have penetrated every politicial
party and created an environment wherein their activities continue unabated
irrespective of the ruling party. They keep every politican party in good humor by
means of huge donations and baiting with vote banks. Under these circumstances no
party will rescue indigeneous tribes from poaching by missionaries.

This is vote bank

“No political party can come to power in Tamil Nadu without the support of
minorities”, asserted Bishop Peter Fernando, chief of Madurai Diocese, while
talking to presspersons in Madurai recently after a meeting of a political convention
of catholic Christians of Tamil Nadu and Podicherry. The Bishop demanded
fulfilment of the election promise by parties, namely, reservation for Christians and
Muslims. The meeting also passed a resolution demanding that cemetries be handed
over to the Christian community. The meeting repeated the demand for resrvation to
‘Dalit Christians’ on par with Hindu Harijans. The meeting called upon Christians in
all political parties to work for religious interests as parties divide Christians.

Archbishop urges Sonia to cleanse Congress of communal elements

Thursday, 22 March 2007

source: Pakistan Christian Post, March 19, 2007

New Delhi, March 19, 2007: Delhi Archbishop Vincent Concessao has called upon
Congress president Sonia Gandhi to cleanse her party of communal elements, if that
is what is required to restore the confidence of India`s minorities in the century-old
political party that led the country to freedom from foreign rule.
The Archbishop`s direct appeal to Gandhi, who is chairperson of the United
Progressive Alliance now running the Central government in New Delhi, came in a
television interview with Journalist Karan Thapar telecast on CNN-IBN on 12th
March 2007.
The full typescript of the interview was made available today. The interview was in
the backdrop of the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill 2006, which was
passed into law after the governor signed it last month. The Congress Party rules the
State of Himachal Pradesh in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Congress recently
lost the neighboring state of Uttarakhand to the right wing Hindutva group of the
Bharatiya Janata Party.

Karan Thapar interviewed Archbishop Vincent Concessao, Maharashtra State

Minorities Commission vice chairman Abraham Mathai and former Mumbai High
Court judge and now Congress Member of Parliament Mr. Justice Vijay Bahuguna.

In reply to a direct question, the Archbishop said the community would like to
appeal to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to ensure that every citizen in India, particularly the
minorities, feels secure. "If the party needs to be cleansed of communal elements, it
must be done for the sake of the country, democracy and secularism," the
Archbishop said.

Justice Bahuguna said the decision of the Congress government in Himachal to

bring forth such legislation had not only surprised party men, "but it also shocks the
conscience of ordinary Congress men." He said the party should not be judged by
this one act but on its ideological commitment to secularism. Asked if he would
press for the repeal of the Himachal Bill, Justice Bahuguna said he would raise the
matter in the All India Congress Committee of which he was a member. "There is
distinction between religion and politics. Everyone has freedom to propagate his
religion. I can certainly assure that there will not be any complaint in Himachal that
Congress government is suppressing Christians in the state it."

The bill could only be repealed by the state legislature, which had adopted, Justice
Bahuguna said.

Karan Thapar quoted extensively from the 2007 edition of the Unofficial White
Paper on Violence Against the Indian Christian Community, published annually by
Dr John Dayal since 1997. The White Paper showed 119 attacks in last year [2006],
36% of them happened in Congress rule states. Andhra is the state with highest
number of attacks, 21, even more than Madhya Pradesh.

Asked by Thapar that some Christians in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and other parts of the
country had reportedly begun to ask they should be included in the Prevention of
Atrocities Acts which normally applies to Dalits and Tribals, Archbishop Concessao
said "Considering the attacks, it will be good for them ... so that feel more secured."
The Archbishop pointed out that in the country there has been not even one proven
case of conversion by force or fraudulent. "What was the need of the Bill?" he
asked Asked if the Congress is pandering to get Hindu votes to attract people and to
win elections, the Archbishop said he would not be able to judge their motives. "But
this much is very clear that earlier they [the Congress party] fought against such
Bills. But we also know that Congress leaders are very secular but it looks like there
elements which are communal."

The Archbishop wrote to Sonia Gandhi in January this year saying that Himachal
Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill "is certainly last thing that the citizens,
particularly minority, expecting from Congress Party?" Mr. Mathai and Mr. Sam
Paul, both of the All India Christian Council, also sent similar letters to Mrs.
Gandhi.

Karan Thapar and Abraham Mathai quoted Mrs. Sonia Gandhi`s view expressed in
her letter to John Dayal on July 27, 2006 on similar bills passed in Madhya Pradesh
and Rajasthan by BJP Governments. Sonia Gandhi wrote back to Dr Dayal saying,
"The Congress Party has opposed this strongly in (concerned) Assemblies and
through demonstrations."

The Archbishop said he was surprised that the Congress which was in power in
Madhya Pradesh earlier had not repealed an earlier ;legislation enacted by a non-
Congress coalition government.

Mr. Thapar said the entire blame for the Act, which demonized the Christian
community by creating a false image about conversions, rested with Chief Minister
Virbahadur Singh. Efforts to move similar Bills in Maharashtra had been rejected by
the Congress-NCP government in Mumbai, he pointed out.

17. “The sun shines by day, the moon by night, the Khatriya warrior is resplendent
in armor and the Brahman radiant in meditation. But Buddha, the Awakened One,
illumines both day and night by the splendor of his wisdom”.(Buddha’s
Dhammapada Chapter 26, Verse 387)

Was Lord Buddha entirely against Caste System? Was He entirely for Non-
Violence?

.. “Dhammapada” is Lord Buddha’s sermon to his Sanyasi disciples. (Remarks by

GCA: It will be seen that Lord Buddha was not against caste system altogether nor
was he advocating total non-violence. He admired the Khatriya warrior in armor.)
Translation in English: Dhammapada Chapter 26, Verse 387:

“Dhammapada” is Lord Buddha’s sermon to his Sanyasi disciples. The sermon was
in Pali. In Chapter XXVI titled “Who is Brahman”, the verse No. 387 in
“Dhammapada”reads as follows:
In Pali : Diva tapati adicco rattim abhati candima
Sannaddho khattiyo tapati jhayi tapati brahmano
Atha sabbamahorattim buddho tapati tejasa
Translation in English: The sun shines by day, the moon by night, the warrior is
resplendent in armor and the Brahman radiant in meditation. But Buddha, the
Awakened One, illumines both day and night by the splendor of his wisdom.