Can you think of a recent incident from any part of India in which the secular ideals of the constitution were violated and people were prosecuted and killed because of their religious backgrounds?
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Recent attempts to convert Christians and Muslims into Hinduism go against the principles of secularism, asserted a special consultation organized by India’s Catholic bishops.
The January 20 meeting in New Delhi viewed the “ghar Wapsi” (home coming) of the Hindu radical groups as a political process carried out by “the powerful exponents of religious nationalism.”
The consultation was held in the backdrop of attempts to bring Christians and Muslims into the Hindu fold, rewriting of Indian history and textbooks and demand or turning India into a Hindu theocratic nation.
“The Ghar Wapsi programs, the saffronization of education and culture, and the demands for a Hindu Rashtra are again posing challenges to the secular ethos of our beloved country. Conversions of a religious nature are an exercise of one’s free will and one’s constitutional/fundamental rights and freedom of conscience and of religion,” says a press release issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on Wednesday.
The consultation attended by top Catholic leaders in India, urged the government to uphold India’s secular nature.
They noted that India’s constitution guarantees that all the citizens can profess, practice and propagate a religion of one’s choice. “India is a land where different religious faiths have long since flourished and our founding fathers made special efforts to ensure that the rights of all are safeguarded, irrespective of our religious beliefs, gender or caste,” they added.
The consultation also drew attention to Christianity existence in India for 2000 years. “The Christians of India believe in God and believe in the goodness of people and have been selflessly serving the people of this country in the fields of education, health care, etc. without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or religion,” said the press release signed by Fr. Joseph Chinnayyan, deputy secretary general and spokesperson of CBCI.
It regretted that recent “unfortunate incidents” in various parts of India have hurt Christians’ sentiments and shaken India’s secular credentials.