Christian Council denounces Subramaniam Swamy’s effort to target minorities and to sabotage Communal Violence Prevention Bill

Christian Council denounces Subramaniam Swamy’s effort to target minorities and to sabotage Communal Violence Prevention Bill People will defeat Sangh Parivar hate campaign MYSORE, October 31, 2001 The All India Christian Council [aicc], an apex Human Rights and Freedom of Faith forum, has taken strong exception to Janata Party president Advocate Subramaniam Swamy’s slander campaign against the Christian and Muslim communities in general, and against the aicc in particular, in his so called complaint to the police against the Communal Violence Prevention Bill drafted by the National Advisory Council. All India Christian Council Secretary General Dr John Dayal and Karnataka unit leaders Rev Kumarswamy and Mr Anand Kumar released the Council’s reaction in a statement at a press conference in Mysore, Karnataka state today. Earlier, in a seminar in the city, the leaders cautioned the people of Karnataka against attempts by the Sangh Parivar and its political allies to communalise the environment in the state. They said the so called Rath Yatra by BJP leader and prime ministerial aspirant Mr Lal Krishan Advani through Karnataka may purportedly be against corruption, but its objective was to sow the seeds of communal hatred and aggravate tension for electoral gains. They recalled the massive violence that took place in the wake of the last rath yatra of Mr Advani in the 1990s. Dr John Dayal said the All India Christian Council’s general secretary for the state of Maharashtra, Dr Abraham Mathai, had filed a formal complaint demanding legal action against Dr Subramaniam Swamy for spreading hate and violating the Constitution when he wrote an article in a Mumbai newspaper advocating that Muslims should not be given voting rights. Dr Dayal said Swamy was now trying to wriggle out by launching a vicious attack on the National Advisory Council [NAC] headed by Mrs Sonia Gandhi which had drafted a Bill which could effectively prevent hate campaigns, the targetting of minorities and violence against the marginalised. Swamy had also attacked the Christian Council which is supporting legislation to prevent violence against minorities. “This is the result of a guilty conscious because Swamy knows the forces responsible for communalism in India. It may be recalled that the then Minister of State for Home affairs, Mr Ajay Maken, had stated in Parliament that there were over 6,000 incidents of communal violence, or riots, in India in the last decade. Holding that communalism is as evil as corruption, the All India Christian Council has repeatedly called for strong laws to curb hate campaigns and similar activity which leads to the targeting of minorities and marginalised communities, including Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Tribals. The Council has cited how the violence against Sikhs in 1984, against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 and against Christians in Kandhamal in Orissa in 2007 and 2008 had led to untold misery. In all cases, the state authorities had been silent spectators or had deliberately allowed the violence to spread. Mangalore had also seen great havoc against the Christian community in 2008. In Orissa, the violence led to the displacement of more than 56,000 people, the burning down of almost 6,000 houses and 300 churches, rape of nuns and other women and the death of more than 90 persons even as the police watched the violence spread over 45 days. The victims are still awaiting real justice and rehabilitation. The Council has said the proposed Bill must check communalism at all stages, from the hate campaigns, conspiracies and actual killings, and identify the guilty elements, including political forces. The Bill must also ensure that officers guilty of inaction were punished for dereliction of duty. Those who connived in the violence would also be brought to book. The Christian Council mechanisms must be set in place which would ensure that the victims were given adequate reparations and relief and rehabilitation was of a nature that they could rebuild their lives. The All India Christian Council (www.christiancouncil.in), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders Released by Anand Kumar Jogul