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.
