ADC Elections – Beef ban, Church attack, Ghar wapsi and Sterilisation of Christians

Yoihenba Mangang *

The hill districts (coloured) which would go to ADC polls on June 01 2015 :: Pix - TSE

"340 Christians have applied for BJP ticket for the coming ADC elections," BJP Manipur President Th Chaoba Singh said in a press conference on 28th April 2015 at the State Party Head office. This very statement is an alarm bell, an open statement of the BJP that the coming ADC election in Manipur is battle ground for two religions - Christians and Hindus.

One thing is sure for the incumbent Th Chaoba that this will be the hat-trick record for his failure – from Lok Sabha, Hiyanglam by-poll and now ADC. Chaoba brazenly sings ' BJP will replace Congress in Manipur. "Height of stupid" and sycophancy!

Why should Christians (both Kukis and Nagas of Manipur) support and vote for the Hindu Communal party? BJP MPs are scared of the development and power of the Christians and express unlawful activities like Sterlilisation of Christians to reduce the populations. A leader of Hindu Mahasabha has stoked a controversy saying Muslims and Christians must undergo sterilisation to restrict their growing population which was posing threat to Hindus.

With ADC elections approaching, social media is filled with page and groups to support political parties by their supporters. Prominent among such group is "ADC Election 2015" which is having more than 7500 members and most of them are young voters, reaching around 7 lakh organic users in Facebook.

Many BJP supporters view that Naga People's Front (NPF) is the alliance of BJP, but the truth is a different story. Last year, when Narendra Modi was ready for the oath taking ceremony as the Prime Minister of India, he consulted the Big Brother of BJP, the Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS). Niphiu Rio, the lone MP from NPF, who sacrificed Chief Ministerial post for the cause of Naga to be a part of Modi government, was left out. Manipur State BJP has a direct influence on this. Mr Chaoba and few Meitei leaders of State BJP wrote to Prime Minister and Amit Shah not to include Mr Nephiu Rio in the Modi's Team. It will be shocked to expose what was the content of the letter! NPF and Nephiu Rio was branded as the main culprit for political unstability and ethnic violence in Northeast States of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

However, this theory is not digested and agreed by BJP supporters. All we can conclude is that Mr Nephiu is not a fool to leave Chief Minister Office to become a simple Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. In Hindu philosophy, Nephiu action is like Lord Indra sacrificing his Kingdom in "Swarg Lok" to become a simple MP in Modi Government on earth!

There's not an iota of doubt in branding State BJP leaders as anti-Christian, anti-Naga and anti-Hills. Why Loli Adani was not offered BJP ticket? Is it on ground that he hails from Senapati, the epi-centre of Meitei-Naga conflicts? Or is it the brainchild of RSS who wanted Prof Gangmumei Kamei, a Kabui Naga to counter Christianity in the next few years. RSS and BJP is in favour of Heraka religion which is the only solution to sideline Christianity in the Northeastern states of India.

Modi government is about to complete one year this month. Though the main opposition party, Congress has been reduced to just 44 MPs. BJP is facing lot of criticism from people, same voters who voted for Modi. The Ache Din has been transformed into Bhure Din for the common people and even for the party itself. Elections after elections, BJP are losing grounds in almost every state (barring Gujarat and Maharashtra). Power greed party is now making U turn on many promises and issues they have announced to the voters.

In Delhi BJP manage to save its face (despite PM Modi Rally, Union Ministers Campaign) just 3 Assembly seats out of 70. In Assam Bodo Territorial Council ADC, out of 44 seats, BJP again secures only 1 seat. Recently in Kolkata Municipal Council, out of 144 seats, BJP manage to get 7 seats and was Nil in 90 seats for Civic Polls. In Manipur ADC too, BJP might struggle with 10 seats out of 144. Article 370, AFSPA, Black Money, 100 Days Report card are all compromised and within 300 days of Modi government, scams and corruption graph keeps on rising. Modi cannot control it. "Make in India" becomes "Fake in India".

Added to this failure, BJP-ruled governments are subverting democracy in multiple ways: lifting the ban on their employees from joining the RSS (Chhattisgarh), making the teaching of the Bhagwad-Gita compulsory in schools (Haryana), punishing possession, sale or consumption of beef with five years' imprisonment (Maharashtra), and instituting a 10-year prison term for slaughtering cattle (Haryana).

When Union Home Minister categorically give press statement that Cow slaughter will be banned and legalized in India, one of RSS chief functionary as well as the newly inducted National General Secretary of BJP, Ram Madhav has confirmed that 8 Northeast states have been excluded from Beefban. This is second surprise moment for the Indians where BJP took U turn - first on Article 370 and now on Beef ban for Vote Politics. Will BJP banned Beef after elections in the eight Northeast states are over in 2017, just like they have been playing Article 370 as Vote bank politics in Jammu and Kashmir?

Responding to the issue of relaxing Beefban in Northeast states, a senior state BJP leader who doesn't want to be named replied very seriously. "If beef is banned in Manipur, what will Tapir Gao eat? Tapir Gao will be staying in the state for a month."

But, one question need to be replied by Mr Tapir Gao, who was the BJP National Secretary and in charge of Manipur, presently election observer for the ADC as well the Tribal face and Star Campaigner of BJP for the ADC election in Manipur. How sincere and honest he is working for the tribals of Northeast? We have not heard or see any of his work for the development of Northeast, leaving aside Manipur!

At National level, a vicious hate campaign seems ignited endorsed by the leadership of the RSS to which the top echelons of the BJP and the Ministers of the National Democratic Alliance Government are faithful members. The hate fuels the physical violence, many incidents of police complicity, and State impunity in the persecution of the Christian community in many states of India.

Mr. Sakshi Maharaj, a god-man, and an influential member of the Parliament on behalf of the BJP has demanded the death sentence for persons who convert (Hindu) persons to other religions. He told a religious gathering in the state of Uttar Pradesh that each Hindu woman should mother four children in order to protect the predominance of Hindus, India's largest religious group. "Wait for some time," local media quoted him as saying. "A law will be passed in Parliament in which anyone indulging in cow slaughter and conversion will be punished with the death sentence." Maharaj added that Indians of Muslim, Christian and other religious faiths who convert to Hinduism, euphemistically Ghar Wapsi or Home-Coming, will not be subjected to the same punishment, as they were all once Hindus.

Human Rights and Civil Society groups have documented at least 43 deaths in over 600 cases of violence, 149 targeting Christians and the rest Muslims, have taken place in 2014 in India till March this year, within a year of the NDA government of Mr. Narendra Modi. The Christian Persecution data lists 168 cases. An analysis of the Christian data alone shows Chhattisgarh topping the list with 28 incidents of crime, followed closely by Madhya Pradesh with 26, Uttar Pradesh with 18 and Telangana with 15 incidents.

The violence peaked between August and October with 56 cases, before zooming up to 25 cases during the Christmas season, including the burning of the Catholic church of St Sebastian in Dilshad garden in the national capital of New Delhi. The violence has continued well into the New Year 2015, with more Catholic churches in the city targeted as incidents continue in other states. Much of the violence, 54 percent, is of threats, intimidation, coercion, often with the police looking on.

However, many BJP supporters are unabashed about its links with the Sangh Parivar. They forgot that Mr. Modi is himself a former RSS leader, as are several of his Cabinet colleagues. Some ranking RSS officials have in recent weeks been inducted as general secretaries of the BJP, leaving absolutely no one in any doubt of the seamless fusion of the political party and the Sangh which styles itself as a social and cultural organisations. A large number of foot-soldiers in the RSS-BJP do believe that the political Hindu has arrived."

Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis, signed the Statement issued at the end of a major consultation held on 17 March 2015 of the National United Christian Forum representing the Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical groups of the Church in India, which said "…The Church in India asserts its stake in the country's development. As citizens and followers of Christ, we have contributed to and continue to work for social development in all spheres of national life…."

"The population of Muslims and Christians is growing day by day. To rein in this, Centre will have to impose emergency, and Muslims and Christians will have to be forced to undergo sterilisation so that they can't increase their numbers," vice president of All India Hindu Mahasabha, Sadhvi Deva Thakur said in a meeting. She also exhorted Hindus to have more children and increase their population so as to have an effect on the world. In another controversial remark, she said idols of Hindu gods and goddesses should be placed in mosques and churches.

BJP Yogi Adityanath, whose impeccable Hindutva credentials include support for Ghar Wapsi and the desire to install idols of Gauri-Ganesh in every Indian mosque, now has the cow in his sights. The Hindu Yuva Vahini led by Adityanath wants the cow declared Rashtra Maata or Mother of the Nation.

Christian institutions have come under vicious attack especially since RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat accused Mother Teresa a month ago of using charitable work as a cover for religious conversion. In Delhi, five churches have been attacked in nine weeks, and two convents broken into.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy added insult to injury by saying that churches and mosques, unlike Hindu temples, are not holy places, but mere buildings that can be demolished at will. ML Khattar, Haryana Chief Minister, no less, defended the Hissar attackers by claiming that the church priest was trying to lure Hindu men to his faith by promising them brides, as if that justified crass vandalism!

Not to be left behind, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain called the 1857 anti-British revolt an anti-Christian war and said similar wars would be waged if Christians didn't stop conversions. He defended the Hissar demolition and asked whether a Hanuman temple would be allowed in the Vatican. Worse, he said sexual exploitation of nuns was part of Christian, not Hindu, culture; the Pope is so worried about it that he is promoting gay sex.

The Chaoba led BJP unit of Manipur has been continuously barking since Lok Sabha elections. No credential achievements can be cited except touring Delhi and submitting one room full of Memorandum and proposals. And not a single issue related with tribal rights has been raised by the state leaders all these 300 days before. BJP must clearly show its stand on Integrity, Indo-Naga ceasefire and should not double speak – one stand on Valley voters during Municipal (in 2016) and another in Hill ADC (now).

Now eyeing on ADC elections is a shame thing. Can any state leaders who represent Tribal – be it Prof Gangmumei Kamei, Danny Shaiza, Yanglet Haokip show proof to entire Tribal voters what they have done in the interest of the Hill people of Manipur. Forget about the work, show any news report or press release where they campaign or talk of any development in the hills, except Chaoba batting for a separate SADAR Hill Districts to woo Kanglatombi voters.