Letter to the Archbishop Bernard Moras-Archbishop of B’lore

A letter to Archbishop Bernard Moras-Archbishop of B’lore,

Dear Archbishop,

On the 20th Sunday Feb I attended the services in St Antony’s Church Madiwala-Blore.The announcement for the Christian’s massive rally on the 21st was not only announced but pamphlets were distributed.
It is on this I would like to share my perception and thoughts
The candle light vigil on the 21st was meant to reject the Justice Somasekharan Report and to demand withdrawal of ‘falsely’ framed cases against 150 Christian youth in Mangalore.The ‘Christians’ rally comprised apart from the catholics and their bishops, the following bishops and their churches:-CSI, Methodist, Believers Church, Baptist, Lutheran. Seventh Day Adventist, Jacobite, Mar Thoma, Orthodox, Assembly of God and Federation of Christian churches and Organisations. Quite a mouth full and an impressive arraign of the ‘Flock’

Let me put across to you the following points for your consideration

1-You have politicized the church and the echo. ‘Do not make the House of my Father a den of thieves’, resounds down the corridors of time. You may wonder how this fits into this impressive and massive vigil business. When you politicize the church and make demands by using numerical minority vote bank for the politician to see that we have power then it means muscle power which goes along with money power. To use religion and to ghetto people is divisive and anti-national. You have misused your position and authority to barter and bargain. The politicians yield not because of justice and fair play but because of the vote bank politics-this towards attaining their own power.
You hence played their game and turned into a semi politician and used the ‘flock’ as tools. This needs to be rejected because it is unchristian. Absolutely against the way Jesus showed when he was betrayed and led.

2-Why do you hold the brief for the Evangelical Churches? Are you responsible for the great damage they wrought at the grassroot levels-the injuries and the insults they heap on not only the Hindus but even on the Catholic Church? The poaching they indulge in to garner greater numbers to their churches? They do the mischief and come to you for leadership for the simple fact that they are self appointed bishops and religious politicians which gather assemblies under the title of churches. The Catholic church has greater credibility,is monolithic and has political power. Hence anything that happens to them they prefer to piggyback ride on you and you easily fall for this sort of ‘leadership’ because it gives you a sense of false pride and power.

3-How are you sure that the 150 cases against the ‘Christian’ youth are false. Can you vouch for it? I know from experience that the Evangelical churches hate the Catholic Church and their ‘bishops’ and pastors do their best to wean Catholics to their churches. It is thus possible that the damages done to the catholic churches must be the handiwork of the Christian youth. This is easily acceptable if you really know the ground realities
If the Justice Somasekharan Report is what Yeddurappa wants then the CBI probe report will be what Veerappa Moily wants.Will the former be untruth and the latter truth? The latter may please you and please Veerappa Moily because of minority appeasement policy which the Congress blatantly follows to the detriment of truth and justice.

4-If the cases are false then why did you not engage good ‘Christian’ lawyers to fight it out in the courts and uphold truth? What if every community organizes massive rallies and with huge numbers threaten and bully the police and the politicians to withdraw cases. So next time it could be the Hindus and the Muslims who will engage in such rallies. Then why the courts and the whole judiciary system and the police?All criminals can run amuck.

5-You would have had greater credibility if you had chosen ‘massive’ rallies to decry corruption at the Centre-The scams are raining on all sides but you were silent. It is only Yeddurappa whom you target.
Justice and Truth knows no creed and caste and you need to fight to uphold these. But typical like a politician you took sides-for one the silence and for the other vociferous condemnation. This is a skewed and biased perception and hence cannot uphold truth and justice

5-Why do you pick at the mole in the eyes of Yeddurappa while carrying a beam in your own? There is so much of injustice within the church be it against the dalits, discrimination against women, unfaithfulness to priestly vows et al.Had you thought of special rallies to highlight these and to condemn these?

Finally I need to give a short introduction of myself. I have been on all committees starting from the parish, diocesan, to the national levels of the Catholic Church. I had been a member of the CBCI’s NAC and am aware of what I am talking.

I had seen the TV telecast a year ago when the CM of Karnataka came to visit you to listen to your grievance. I was shocked at the way you behaved. A dignitary of the church-must exhibit the Jesus-like values of compassion, humility and courage. But you were so brash with him .He too is a dignitary and represent the people. You lost an opportunity to show the difference between a church dignitary and a politician .In fact the CM came off in a better light. But you showed your power, your pride not only in words but in your body language-

I am fully aware that what I am just put down will not be well received this because of the belief that the church has Truth bundled up at the top and it percolates down to us through the hierarchy. This is completely wrong. ‘Authority is no criterion for truth’. ‘From the babes’ mouths will come the truth’. I believe in Jesus and what He stood for-a just society. He did not establish a religion. Do not use Him to justify your aggrandizement and divisive strategies. “My kingdom is not of this world”. Finally let me remind you that TRUTH was crucified by the conspiracy of priests and the civil authorities-the same is being done down the ages. I fervently pray that Truth dawns on you.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,
Vadodara.

The Prime Minister stands exposed

The statement made by the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha raised more questions than answers. His sneaky attitude to run away from the cruz of the problem is apparent. He harped on development when the nation is being rocked with corruption. Like bandicoots what development brings these rodents eat-they eat into the every entrails of the nation and one would have expected the Prime Minister to come clean on why the UPA 2 was beset with scams on all sides and why it took him so long even to admit and to counter these.

To stand before the House and vow that he would clean corruption is a false promise. He who had not stood by the solemn oath he took to uphold the integrity and security of the country-he who failed to act without fear or favor wants us to believe that he would clean corruption-that he would punish the guilty.

Why had he allowed corruption to seep to this extent when it was within his power to at least arrest it? Why dirty the whole system and then promise that the system would be cleansed? Why was he silent all these years? Why did he appoint Kapil Sibal to hold the brief for the tainted A.Raja and inform the House that there was no loss to the exchequer?

As an ordinary citizen I am perplexed on how the policy of 2G Spectrum was not on profit but on tele-density? When tele-density increased almost 60 percent how could .Raja follow the same pricing? Will the government at least supply essential commodities at the prices of 2003?

Why had the PM not come out even with these answers earlier? Why and how has he distanced himself from the 2G Spectrum fiasco now by saying that he had nothing to do with the 2G scam?

He and his party wanted to explain all these things but blames the Opposition for not allowing the winter session of Parliament. This is something false and a faked answer. Had they conceded to the JPC earlier we would have had the winter session. The Congress was hiding and running for cover-trying to buy time from facing Parliament when scams were raining all round it. And now conveniently blames the Opposition for the JPC demand. It seems to me that for every scam of the UPA it tries to dig out some scam of the NDA. So is it a competition of scam creation? Is it the logically answer that if we have scams you too had?

Above all why is he running for cover under the NDA policy? Then was he not in the Opposition and why had the Opposition not raised any objection?. Hear the economist of a PM state that policy and implementation are two different things as though nobody knows. Hiding under the policy of the NDA but putting on a brave front and annulling the same makes a joke of the whole G2 Spectrum and S-Band space segment  

The PM seems to be out of the loop always starting from Quottrochi’s loot and flight from India. The PM stands exposed when he blamed inflation on high international oil prices and government policies, which resulted in high economic growth. How can he as an economist fail to accede the fact that the wrong economic polices of the UPA resulted in inflation. We must thank our stars that the PM did not blame the scarcity of food grains on the rodents! He promises to clean up corruption but the million dollar question is why did he allow corruption at this rate and at this intensity and at this spread? Why was he a silent spectator? Had the Opposition not been aggressive and on the offensive would the PM and the Congress expose these scams and the corruption. Did they take the people of this country as fools? For years his silence allowed the loot of the country by A.Raja and the rest. Today we are assured by the PM that he will punish the guilty. Can we take him for his words? But then who is to punish him for his silence and inaction? On the whole the Prime Minister exposed himself as one who had no answers-as one who evades, but also as one who had no clothes to hide his total failure as the Prime Minister of the country. The Congress under Mrs Sonia Gandhi the extra-constitutional power centre and the PM who is a lame duck has to be thrown out lock stock and barrel.

Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,

Vadodara

A rejoinder to “No democracy without Parliament”

A rejoinder to No democracy without Parliament by Jayanthi Natarajan

Jayanthi Natarajan’s article ‘No democracy without Parliament (IE 11th Feb 2011)
has raised more questions than answers. It has exposed the bias and the prejudicial perception of the author. One must remember that Jayaanthi Natararajan was one of the most vociferous of the ‘shouting Brigade’ when the Congress was in the Opposition. Has Jayanthi Natarajan since then changed her views because today she sits in the Treasury benches? So with such change positions the perception and views of what is democracy also seem to change drastically.

There is no doubt that Parliament is the essence of democracy. But a democracy is vibrant and robust only with good governance and not only with debates and proceedings in Parliament. Again Parliament becomes meaningful only if it leads to good governance. Gone are the days when debates were meaningful and the MPs came well prepared. These days we find that the major part of the Parliament sessions do not see the presence of even the PM and most often a large number of MPs are also absent. What we have seen during the UPA regime is that there are MPs who have not even uttered a single word one such a person is Mrs Sonia Gandhi who till date has been only a silent spectator. Similarly too Rahul Gandhi has not engaged himself in any debate and discussion. When most of governance and its decisions are done from No 10 Janpath and when Rahul Gandhi can just walk into the PM’s office and get his pet schemes okayed then why Parliament? Why Parliament when Mrs Sonia Gandhi presides over a super Parliament termed as National Advisory Council to advise the PM? Most of the ministers come unprepared so what’s the great take that without Parliament there is no democracy. The major decisions that the government takes are not routed through Parliament but by bypassing it- example the nuke deal. It is from the media that one comes to know of the commissions and omissions of the government and the schemes and plans of the government.

Oh yes the women reservation bill is hanging but it has been there for years and we will end by a mere discussion. People are also fed up with these meaningless discussions.
What is strange is that Jayanthi Natarajan forgets that stalling and blocking Parliament is part of democratic functioning of an Opposition and is one of the ways to press for action from the government.
The author must remember that had not the Opposition stalled Parliament and compelled the UPA government most of the actions against the scam esters would not have taken place. Singular example is Adimuthu.Raja. It is not at though the PM was not aware of A Raja’s loot only that the PM allowed him to continue looting? Had it not been for the aggressive positioning of the Opposition ARaja would have continued as a Cabinet minister and Parliament would have functioned and Jayanthi Natarajan could smugly state that democracy is functioning because Parliament is functioning.

I think the Congress has misplaced priorities What about the others scams like Adharsh and Common Wealth Games scams to name a couple-all came not only tumbling out with some sort of an action taken only because of the Opposition’s shouting and rushing to the well of the House The author faults Advani for this justification but what had she done under the smiling gaze of Rajiv Gandhi who was mightily pleased that the shouting brigade was shouting and rushing to the well of the House. Did he not justify and did he not find satisfaction in it and in fact encouraged such behaviour?Why this double standards?. When the Congress can indulge in such actions when it was in the Opposition and justify how come the author questions the Opposition now on similar actions?
It is easy to mouth the hollow ‘zero tolerance to corruption’ but arresting it taking action against it is entirely another aspect. The Congress has the singular tag of being a government with the largest and the biggest scams under it. What does Jayanthi Natarajan expect from the Opposition?

Never in the history of parliamentary democracy have we witnessed a government encircled and embattled on all sides with scams. Is this the kind of democracy that we want? So why bother about allowing Parliament functioning; heavens will not fall if Parliament does not function. By the way the Congress appointee PJ Thomas justifies his appointment because there are 28.60 percent of MPs with criminal records or criminal cases pending against them. Allowing Parliament to function is no big deal if this is the perception of a CVC appointed by the Congress. This is one way of looking at the whole Parliament’s non- functioning.

The other is that stalling Parliament is a legitimate democratic right of the Opposition. Yes democracy has to function and whose chief responsibility is that-the UPA’s. Why is Parliament been stalled? Because the Opposition wants a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the G2 spectrum scam. This is the biggest scam since democracy started functioning in India .What is strange is that the UPA instead of yielding to this has refused the JPC.So who is at fault in not allowing Parliament functioning. If the UPA wants Parliament to function then let it yield to a JPC.Aafter all the demand for a JPC is no violation, not extra constitutionally and not setting up a precedent. The same Jayanthi Natarajan and company not merely stalled Parliament but even pulled down a government on the Jain Commission report by their sheer lung power and rushing to the well.

Now to act as a votary of democracy and pick at the Opposition to say that the Opposition is responsible for not allowing Parliament to function is a gross misrepresentation of facts. Let the Parliament function-but let there be a JPC is the demand of the Opposition. Why is the Congress adamant in rejecting this demand? Is it afraid of something that will be revealed? If the Congress really believes that democracy has to be saved and that means Parliament functioning it is within its reach-It has only to concede to the demand for the JPC.

Mere functioning of Parliament does not make wholesome democracy. Governance is, and the utility of Parliament functioning must be seen in the end results of what have been passed by Parliament after thorough discussions. It is not just the automatic passing of bills and the budget that makes good governance and meaningful democracy. The tone and tenure of debates-the content of the discussion and the final conclusions arrived-the policies evolved and proposed and passed by Parliament all these count. But under the UPA Parliament has been just a mirage-a kind of rountine which does not lead to a vibrant democracy and good governance.

Another area which Jayanti Natarajan brought out is democracy. She will be forced to agree if she assembles the facts truthfully that there is no democracy worth the name under the UPA and to be specific under Mrs Sonia Gandhi. This is no secret. What you do not have you cannot give.Evfen Rahul Gandhi has complained about the High Command making decisions. If the Congress party has no inner democracy then how can it stand up and uphold democracy for the country. A handpicked Prime Minister is no great expression of democracy. For democracy there are various variables like the PM must come from the Lok Sabha to be more credible. He must be elected and not nominated. If one has to take each and every constitutional post one will realize that democracy has been demeaned and dented by Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the Congress.

Since Jayanthi Natarajan has mentioned the Bofors JPC boycott by the Opposition one must remember that the JPC then was an eye wash because Mr ‘Clean’ had to be saved and the Italian relative of Mrs Sonia Gandhi Quottrroch had to be saved. No wonder the JPC was packed with majority Congress men when the person involved is the Congress leader what does one expect of such a JPC?And the subsequent events clearly indicate what the Congress was up to in the whole Quotrrochi affair.The line is to drawn not where the buck stops at you but when the true spirit of the probe is directed to dig out and establish the truth. This the Congress has never done in any of its governance business.So just repeating that Parliament has to function to prove that we have democracy is a big joke. This is why what Advani stated is true-“sometimes business, not proceedings yield results”-The author naturally cannot comprehend this.

Talk ,talk and talk-we Indians are good at it and that is not the litmus test for democracy. So let business be attended to and not just allowing parliament to function. If the government is keen as it makes out ,so is the Opposition also keen that Parliament functions and not just debate and allow proceedings for name sake-then let the government will it-let it concede to the JPC; it is as simple as that and as easy as that. It is within the hands of the Congress and the responsibility of the Congress to allow a JPC so that Parliament can function.Otherwise the odium is on the Congress that it does not want Parliament to function- The meetings with the Opposition leaders are a big tamasha-That the Congress is not eager to allow Parliament to function and hence is rejecting the demand for the JPC is obvious. And thereby it is failing in its primary duty and responsibility to uphold democracy.

Dr Mrs Hilda Raja
Vadodara.

On cooking and washing utensils

Of cooking and washing utensils

Cooking and washing utensils is an honorable job. There is dignity and satisfaction in doing these tasks because no matter how high one is at some point in life these tasks have been done. So no one can look down on these tasks and there can be no two opinions that these are not demeaning tasks. It revolves round families-dear ones and brings satisfaction and cheer. It results in filling and satiating the hunger and felt needs of loved ones Unlike some women of substance who think these are demeaning tasks and leave them only to ‘servants’ So it comes as no great exposure that our President had indulged in these and it comes as a honor that the First citizen had been at these tasks.
Rajasthan minister Amin Khan had done a service in highlighting the tasks the President had been at-the ordinary women can find solace, pride and honor that they are in great company.
If the story stopped at this then women would be proud and Indians would be doubly proud to have a President who did common chores. But there is a snag because Amin Khan continued his exposure by adding that because the cooking and the washing of utensils by President Pratibha Patil was done for Mrs Indira Gandhi she was rewarded with the Presidentship.The whole story falls flat and what was edifying becomes demoralizing and what was of dignity become a cheap piece of barter and that too for the highest post. More is yet to come. Who disburses this favor for the cooking and the washing of utensils for Indira Gandhi-none other than Mrs Sonia Gandhi-One must pause at this and try to digest the whole episode and its impact. Who is Mrs Sonia Gandhi to be disbursing such favors? How can the Presidentship be a reward for cooking and washing utensils? For whom these were done is important. Ordinary women do these for their own families. No wonder they continue to be ordinary.
The demoralizing part of this cooking and washing utensils come from the role played by Mrs Sonia Gandhi. She is the empress of corruption and corrupt practices .But with a shrewd eye on the result hence all constitutional posts have been filled with men and women who would come in handy when there is crisis for her and her party. We are seeing this unfolding and thus the cooking and the washing become diabolic when these are used as steps to the Rastrapathy Bhavan.
By demanding Amin Khan to put in his papers the sordid episode cannot be wiped out. It becomes more sordid. Amin Khan further clarifies very naively that he meant no disrespect to the President Patil which is apparent-what he meant was to give an example of loyalty and its rewards! If one is loyal to Gandhi family rewards come all your way. The loyalty shown in such small tasks as cooking and washing utensils can lead one to Rastrapathi Bhavan. Amin Khan seems to be a simpleton and he paid for his indiscretion. Something this nation has known all along is the way rewards-awards and plum posting are being distributed and awarded .Rastrapathi Bhavan is number one-all the Raj Bhavans too fall under this rewards distribution scheme. But when post retirement benefits like constitutional posts are distributed in a similar fashion then the trouble brews. Justice becomes skewed and sense becomes nonsense. When posts are filled with persons close to Mrs Sonia Gandhi and family-and eligibility criterion becomes the casualty then good governance becomes impossible.
In common parlance we call this favoritism and nepotism Mrs Sonia Gandhi is a the mother head of these two vices which cannot bring in good conduct and probity in public life.If caste and creed are tags which drag us down favoritism and nepotism puts spokes in the wheels of good governance. It also is demoralizing because persons will perform with an eye on rewards. An important factor which must not be overlooked is favoritism and nepotism are indicators of a banana republic. This is dangerous and augers ill for democracy and this nation. Hence the simple tasks of cooking and washing has its own drastic effects. This is why Amin Khan had to put in his papers.
A side effect of this is no one should speak the truth. It is not because Amin Khan was disrespectful to the President that he was asked to put in his papers but because it revealed the favoritism and nepotism of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. The latter should remember that all these are open secrets and she should do well to recapitulate the children’s story of the King being naked. She may think that everything round her is fine because the renunciation had placed a halo round her. That halo has disappeared long ago and with all the scams raining under her reign with her making constitutional posts a farce and she holding an extra constitutional power the story of the King being naked is apt. So Amin Khan had resigned but Mrs Sonia Gandhi is getting exposed day in and day out from the washing of the utensils and the cooking to the black money scams in tax havens.

Dr Mrs Hilda Raja
Vadodara

The Congress with its leaks is running for cover

Congress with its leaks is running for cover

The Congress is crafty vicious and leaky stinking too. The leaks come in timely for it to divert the people’s attention. Embattled from all sides and with the hollow boast of Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s zero tolerance to corruption it is trying to cover up and in the process running for cover.
The government wants sticks to batter the BJP It is not concerned with crime and criminality. This is evident from what its spokespersons state-loud and foul mouthedly If there is A.Raja’s case well there is corruption in Karnataka-if there is price inflation soaring above all records well there is the ‘saffron’ terrorism. Hence the ultimate motive is not arresting the corruption-not nailing criminality but scoring brownie points. If we have made a mistake-you have made another .If Adimuthu Raja’s actions were against the cabinet decision and a violation of procedures-hence illegal –the NDA also was out of tune with extended policies and directions of the GOI. So what are we to make out of it. Two wrongs make a right and why as the Opposition during the NDA’s regime the Congress failed to point these ‘out of tune’ procedures set by the GOI?
Has A.Raja’s criminality thus lessened or vanished? The only right way out is to allow the JPC to probe right from 2001 but in the meantime what happens to ARaja? Is the GOI with its leaks really concerned with the problems which confront the nation or is it concerned with gathering ammunition against the BJP.
What seem to be callous to say the least is one would think that the Congress would join the Opposition to fight corruption instead it tries to cover up or least diminish the criminality. Yet we have a puppet of a PM stating that ‘Inflation is a serious threat to the growth and corruption dents image abroad and demeans us at home’Is the PM serious about the seriousness of the issues or has he like a robot just mouthing what is fed into him? If he was serious why did it take three years to act against A.Raja? If he is serious on inflation why does the economist in him not find ways and means to curb it? We have been told for the past two years that prices will come down-that we must wait patiently. We were told that the rains are the cause-then it will be the drought that is the cause then it will be that Sharad Pawar prefers the rodents to the people of India. And finally it will fall back on the pressures of a coalition government. One wonders if there is any governance at all. In the meantime the GOI and its various ministries are busy buying time and indulging in semantics
One ministry is in the serious and urgent business of establishing the age of consensual sex-at what age is it legal to have non-penetrative sex? At what age will it became a crime to have penetrative sex? Now the law minister is unaware of the draft sent to all the States for comments but is wondering if 14 is too young an age for sex. The whole focus is on non issues and on issues which will not be able to be implemented. Who and how is one to establish penetrative and non penetrative sex? How is one to establish consensual sex with a child of 14 years? Will there be a special trained squad with the necessary mechanisms for reaching out to the one billion people in this area?

Right under the nose of the PM criminals have flourished but he is unaware or at least does not bother. Veerappa Moily is more concerned with nailing Yeddyurappa in the attack against the churches so wants the CBI to probe, rubbishing Justice Somasekharan’s report. He wants the CBI to cite what he wants to cite-namely that the Sangh groups were involved. This CBI report can be waved for the election campaigning. My point is that the intention of those in power is not to curb and arrest criminality but to find ammunition to hit at the Opposition. Criminality and crimes can grow and flourish the Congress abet these .Is this a government?

Now the leaks related to the Special Investigation Team must be answerable by the UPA2.No responsible government will be leaking and the UPA2 is leaking from all sides.
The timing and the context and the content are important.
Inspite of bending backwards the SIT was not able to nail Modi for his omissions and commissions to take legal action. So the next best is to showcase his impropriety. Mind you this by a government in which the Supreme Court had pointed out the impropriety and had passed strictures on the GOI especially the PM in more than one instance. The appointment of the CVC and A.Raja’s case for his silence on the matter are a couple of instances.Yet the Congress spokespersons are going all hammer and tongs at Modi and through Modi hit the BJP.

The context of the leaks comes at a time when the Congress is cornered from all sides with serious issue.
What was the content of the leaks?: Tehelka the magazine which carried these leaks of the SIT report cites “Inspite of the fact that ghastly and violent attacks had taken place on Muslims at Gulbarg Society and else where, the reaction of the government was not the type that would have been expected by anyone. The CM had tried to water down the seriousness of the situation at Gulbarg Society,Naroda Partiya and other places by saying that every action has an equal and opposite reaction”
What was wrong with this? It is scientific that every action would have a reaction.This is truth.One must accept the truth and not play politics like the Congress does. Place this against the backdrop of the remarks uttered by Rajiv Gandhi after the massacre of the Sikhs in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi. He justified the massacre.It was not just a discriminatory attitude that he exhibited but an outright criminal conspiracy and abetment. Is this okay? How can the Congress then point accusing fingers at Modi?

The next is on Modi’s statement, “accusing some elements in Godhra and the neighbourhood as possessing a criminal tendency was sweeping and offensive coming from a CM ,that too at a critical time when Hindu-Muslim tempers were running high”.This statement is not sweeping and again points at the reality. There are some elements with a criminal tendency. Is that not true? That some could be Hindus,Muslims or both. What is the objection to this?

“His implied justification of the killings of innocent members of the minority community read together with an absence of strong condemnation of the violence that followed Godhra suggest a partisan stance at a critical juncture when the State had badly been disturbed by communal violence”.This is a repetition of the first two.Mind you this is an SIT report and it only implies not able to directly pinpoint the implication and the cause for it. The SIT attributed only ‘implied’ justification and not downright justification. This is the perception implied by the SIT. And what is the strong condemnation that the SIT probe expected from Modi where 59 humans were charred and the families received bodies charred beyond recognition? Modi is not the CM of only the minorities but of everyone and he cannot make a strong condemnation to placate the minority community .First one must answer why the innocent men, women and children were roasted-What crime did they commit? Modi must answer to this and so too the SIT must have its perception on the instigation and the perpetrators of both the sides.There is always two sides to an incident-an action and a reaction….

Put this against the Sikh massacre where ten times more members of a minority community were brutally butchered in front of their families. Was there any condemnation by the Congress? Was there any solace? For 25 years these families had to live with absolutely not even a word of regret and consolation. All the time the Congress was in power to make matters worse. The Congress leaders who led the butchering team were made ministers-rewards for the gruesome murders.It was only when the Opposition raked the whole episode that some movement was made and we had a Sikh as the PM of this country.And we find the SIT faulting the appointment of two Public Prosecutors who are alleged to be affiliated to the VHP and the RSS.

Again the SIT leak reveals–“Modi displayed a discriminatory attitude by not visiting the riot-affected areas in Ahmedabad where a large number of Muslims were killed-though he went to Godhra on the same day, traveling almost 300km on a single day”. It was good that Modi did not visit the riot hit areas in Ahmedabad immediately-there would be greater problems of security. But he did visit the areas later. Should Modi’s discriminatory attitude be measured in the promptness of his visit? .If he had not visited the riot hit areas then something can be said about his discrimination. Did Rajiv Gandhi even after a few years visit any of the areas where the Sikhs were butchered-for that matter did the PM who is also a Sikh visit them? You want to bash a person then any stick comes handy.

The GOI has been throughout discriminatory in its words and deeds. No tear shed for the train carnage-no condemnation for the brutal murder of Swami Lakshmananda in Kandhammal,no condemnation when Hindus are targeted, when their god and goddesses are desecrated Why should the Congress try to pick at the mote in Modi’s eyes when it carries a beam in its own. He who had not sinned let him cast the first stone. Thus the Congress has no right to use the leaks against Modi for vested interest and for vote bank appeasement. Should the lives, blood and suffering of people be bartered for votes? This is what the Congress is whole time engaged in.

This is the Congress which compromised and abandoned its own citizens to allow Warren Andherson safe exit from this country.1500 were killed-double that number maimed and crippled and afflicted with life long ailments. Did the Congress then both at the Centre and at the State shed a drop of tear-feel for the poor Indians and tried to bring solace? No, the Congress was more concerned with the security of Warren Anderson and to see that he is safe-it compromised the victim hood and the suffering of the poor Indians by selling out their blood and tears and hence settled for a mere compromise of $470 million settlement from $3,300 million. This Congress has no right-morally and politically to use the leaks on discriminatory attitude, on regret and condemnation, on lack of sensitivity and sensibility, on action and reaction statement of Modi. The Congress has no human face and hence no human values by which to back up any of its tirade against Modi.

The media should also be fair and honest. I challenge the media anchors to quiz Sonia Gandhi and Rahul on the above mention areas-on the commissions and omissions of the Congress. I challenge the media to substantiate how it can state that the discriminatory attitude of Modi has washed off the sheen of good governance when the Congress has no governance even to wash. The media should shed its discriminatory approach-it cannot become the spokespersons of the Congress which has politically sinned, which had betrayed the people on all fronts.

Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,
Development Consultant,
Vadodara

The Somasekharan Report

On Jan 28th there was a news item that the Justice Somasekharan Commission had given a clean chit to Sangh and the Karnataka government. It seems that the media along with the Congress are disappointed. Already preconceived notions and perception nailed the Sangh groups and the Somasekharan Report came as a let down to these.
In the hindsight one realizes that the Congress and the media are only happy when terrorism and attacks are ‘saffron’.It is not hurt and pained that people suffer, that communal tensions exist. This can be given credence when we hear that Veerappa Moily wants the CBI to probe the attacks on the churches .He representing the Congress which is very unhappy that they have lost a stick to beat and batter the Sangha and the BJP government. A bit of analysis is called for.
Justice Somasekharan Report is correct and true To please the Congress he could not fantasize and put in black and white what did not exist. This goes to prove that any Commission Report-any probe which goes against the preconceived perception of the Congress rather does not blame the Sangha and the BJP is not acceptable to the Congress and thus to the GOI. This goes to prove why Commissions are constitituted. Two areas stand out-one-that the Congress does not want truth and justice-It does not want peace and harmony but want only weapons to strike at the BJP and the Sangha groups.
Two-Towards such a motive the CBI is utilized.How can the Justice Somasekharan Commission report be wrong and the CBI probe be right? So what is right is to blame the Sangha group and fault the BJP government at Karnataka-whether true or untrue as long as these help the Congress to garner its votes.Hence Moily’s demand that the CBI should probe the attacks exposes blatantly the CBI and its utility value to the Congress.
The media flashed headlines like ‘nobody is responsible for the attacks’. This is not true.The Justice Somasekharan report puts the odium on other Christian groups (nameless) as the perpetrators. Only because of the namelessness and facelessness of such groups they get away and the Sangha groups and the BJP get the blame.
That the Christian groups will not vandalise and attack other Christian churches and groups is a misconception. Only the government clubs everything under its electorate tags-like all Christians and all Muslims are two entities. But Christians churches are different from each other, They are different entities as there are different number of churches.The Catholic church for example will not directly blatantly proselytize today except in specific cases like marriages and in a couple of States in the North East. I substantiate my statement with one of the examples I personally know.
Just a couple of years ago a Hindu girl in love with a catholic boy married in Chennai.Only on the day of the marriage the girl’s parents found that she was a baptized Catholic. Earlier they had a Hindu marriage and at the boy’s insistence a church marriage. During the marriage ceremony the girl received Communion –only then the parents eyes opened and the realization dawned on them that the girl had been baptized.How did this happen? The girl was taken by the boy secretly and on the sly for catholic doctrine classes and quietly baptized. Two things must be remembered in this classic case.The girl’s father is a High Court Judge. Yet this could happen. Second the parish priests mostly are semi-literates are unaware of the present rules of the Roman Catholic church. It allows ‘mixed’ marriages-where one of the parties is a non catholic the church has a special rite for these and the marriage is blessed in the church and is considered valid. There is no compulsion on baptism. Many of the priests overlook this and use emotional blackmail at such time and baptize the non catholic partner. So what Justice Somasekharan stated that the Roman Catholic church does not indulge in conversion except in specific cases during marriage etc is true and the Commission seems to have done its homework well.
Justice Somasekharan Commission report again is very correct if one knows about the Christian fundamentalists and their crusading vigor. They think that they have the whole truth and that it is their god-given command to convert. These belong to the Evangelical churches and they have mushroomed with their self appointed ‘bishops’ ‘Pastors and congregation. The bigger the congregation the greater the velocity of the flow of money. The perception is that their God needs numbers to prove himself!One needs to go into Andhra Pradesh to realize this. The Evangelists hop in helicopters to interior areas and baptize. It is one such helicopter that crashed with a former Speaker Balayogi. These Evangelists have hospitals-social services, employment food etc These are entry points into the community. Staines is an example of such evangelical work. The point to be remembered is that they are dedicated, aggressive in their attainment of their goal-namely conversion and above all are firm in their belief that it is their duty to convert.
How deeply ingrained and convinced they are- I will give an example. One of my students belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist church .She told me that I will not go to heaven! This in a post graduate class-even the holy nun who was the Principal she said will not get salvation because ‘you Catholics do not under go ‘immersion baptism’. If this kind of a thinking is ingrained in educated persons and is openly uttered in defiance in an environment totally different from the daily business of life-one can imagine what kind of form this kind of thinking and aggression will take in a tribal and a poor community.
Christian groups viciously fight among each other and each church sends their own ‘brokers’ to poach into other congregations. There is a lot of enmity, resentment and hatred among these groups. So it is possible that Fundamental Christian groups were behind the attacks of the Catholic churches in Karnataka
What is strange is when they want to present their case then they all piggy ride on the catholic church’s leadership. This because the Roman Catholic Church is very powerful and unlike the nameless and proliferation of small churches it is a monolithic structure-the richest in the world and it has political clout. The Roman Catholic Church dignitaries are only too willing to give this leadership and showcase to the world how they are fighting out injustices. They are also arrogant because of an immunity and because Mrs Sonia Gandhi is a Roman Catholic. This was evident when the Archbishop of Blore interacted with the CM Yeddyurappa who had personally gone to inquire .His body language and the way he directed his answers made one wonder why a church dignitary behaved with no dignity to an elected secular dignitary. It revealed not only anger but arrogance.
It is saddening that the Congress has given a color to terrorism and violence. No matter who the perpetrators are-violence and terrorism know no color. But the Congress is hell bent on coloring it simply because it suits its electorate strategy.
Look at the number of terror attacks by the Muslims across the country but the focus and emphasis is today on ‘saffron’ terror. The Hindus must be painted black and in the process the BJP must be made answerable for the ‘saffron’ terror. On the same logic then the Congress must be made answerable to all the terror attacks by the Muslims be it cross border or within-it is the same source.
One would think that patriotic politicians will condemn all terror-will not use it to divide the nation. One would also think that the Congress would condemn and fight corruption and not score brownie points in fielding its spokespersons to give some kind of explanation and point out at ‘saffron terror to take the sting off the Opposition. Till date the murders of Swami Lakshmananda has not been traced. In Orissa too Christian Fundamentalists have wrought havoc and Christian NGOs like the World Vision- found it difficult to proceed forward with their agenda because of Swami Lakshmananda’s work among the dalits and tribals.There is no fast track court for this because after all lives’ value and uniqueness depend on the religion one follows according to the Congress. So the perpetrators of the Kandhammal riots have been punished, but not the murderers of Swami Lakshmananda roam free.It is the same story everywhere. Morality and values have no place in the Congress party
To get back to the Somasekharan Commission Report for once I get the feel that the Commission has done a thorough job and has highlighted the danger of Christian Fundamentalist groups. One must approach the whole problem of religious attacks with an open mind and not already name the perpetrators and want the probing machinery to name such. This is what the Congress has been doing with the CBI and so it wants the church attacks in Karnataka to be probed by the CBI-What if the CBI arrives also at the same conclusion? Very likely it won’t because it is the handmaid of the Congress. So there is no need to wait- the CBI can sit within their office and produce a report the next day saying that the Sangh groups were responsible for the attacks and that the BJP government under Yeddyurappa failed to effective protect the churches. It does not matter which church –everything will be swept under the carpet-The Congress would take the report and for its electioneering and the Fundamentalists perpetrators will have the last laugh and be free to continue their vicious attacks under the cover of the Hindu groups .The Congress and the Churches will be happy only TRUTH and Justice will become the casualty and the people will continue to be exposed to similar attacks. But who bothers?
PS: it is a money spinning business-churches-attacks, conversion and politics. There is no God in this.

Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,
Development Consultant,
Vadodara