Christians want to join the Congress as candidates for the elections in Maharashtra
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Christian community in Maharashtra asked the Congress to candidate some of its members for the forthcoming elections in October. Five Indian states will go to the polls next month. This is happening for the first time.
The Christian community in India in general dislikes the political field. Being accused of collaboration and submission to the former colonial powers, slowly but constantly, they had been discriminated in the local and central administration, in the railways and in government jobs. Some few and brilliant exceptions had been there like George Fernandes, defense minister in the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), Purno Agitok Sangma from Meghalaya, who was president in the Parliament, Arackaparambil Kurian Anthony chief minister of Kerala and the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy in Andhra Pradesh.
Before the last May general elections the Catholic Bishops wrote pastoral letters recommending all the Christians to come out and vote and take part in the political life of the country. There are signs that Christian are coming out of their ghetto and share the problems and worries of the whole nation
Now with the approaching state elections 13 October, the All India Christian Council (AICC) had asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to nominate at least nine members from the community in Maharashtra including three from Mumbai. John Dayal, active secretary general of AICC, said that the council appealed to not just the Congress president, but the heads of all political parties for adequate representation for Christians among candidates.
Another member of the AICC, Abraham Mathai said: “Christians are politically marginalized. Their voice are seldom heard. To give them a sense of security, it is essential they are adequately represented in the assembly”.
Mathai also complained that Christians are taken for granted by secular parties. In the past May general elections a candidate for the Congress party missed an appointment to address the people of a large Christian colony in Mumbai, Everard Nagar; when questioned why he didn’t turn up, he apologized saying that he was sure that the Christian people of Everard will vote Congress.
The Mumbai Catholic Sabha has also asked the Congress for seats for Christians. “We have supported secular parties in elections in the state and we now need our share in representation,” said Sabha president Dolphy D’Souza.
Christian account for 1.800.000 people in Maharashtra, of which 800.000 only in Mumbai. The AICC has recommended three names for Mumbai, in three areas where the concentration of Christians is more: Janet D’Souza (Ghatkopar), Agnello Fernandes (Mahim) and Steven Noronha (Bandra).
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