Gandhinagar, November 27: It's getting clear that the conspicuous appeal of Gujarat Archbishop to 'defeat nationalists' in coming Gujarat polls and Congress party upholding (via its ill-famed mouthpiece National Heral) the Church malicious propaganda has made the normal democratic process of an election murkier. The Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gujarat stated in an official communique dated Nov 21 that Gujarat elections are significant and have their repercussion and reverberations throughout our beloved nation and appealed to the Christians to pray for the victory of ‘humane leaders’ who ‘remain faithful to the Indian Constitution’ to ‘save India from nationalist forces’.
Taking a serious cognizance of this illegitimate statement, the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has already moved the Election Commission of India against the Catholic Archbishop of Gujarat for making an appeal to the voters to vote against ‘nationalist forces’. Objecting heavily to the appeal by Archbishop of Gujarat who stated: “We are aware that the secular and democratic fabric of our country is at stake. Human Rights are being violated. The constitutional rights are being trampled. Not a single day goes without an attack on our churches, faithful or institutions. There is a growing sense of insecurity among the minorities, OBCs, BCs, poor and so on. Nationalist forces are on the verge of taking over the country. The election results of Gujarat State Assembly can make a difference."- The LRO maintained that by making such a religious appeal to the voters and levelling unsubstantiated allegations against the ‘nationalist forces’ has violated the RP Act 1951.
Now the Convenor of the Legal Rights Observatory has come up with 15 Questions to Archbishop of Gandhinagar Thomas Ignatius Macwan.
Here is the questionnaire :Shri. Thomas Ignatius Macwan,
Archbishop, Archdiocese of Gandhinagar,
With reference to YOUR letter dated November 11, 2017, We wanted to seek clarification from YOUR side on the basis of following points.
1) Did 5 influential Gujarat and Delhi political leaders visit your office from November 10 to 21, 2017? If yes, then what are the names of political leaders which visited your office?
2) What did visiting political leaders commit YOU in exchange for issuing letter against Nationalists, if they come to power after upcoming assembly elections?
2) Who did talk to visiting political leaders as your authorized representative?
3) Did diplomats from various European Countries visit your office from November 1 to 21, 2017? If yes, then was the visit related to your public statement which you issued on November 21, 2017?
4) Did you write a letter to European Union leaders and Members of European Parliament, requesting them to raise the issue of FCRA cancellation with Government of India? What was their response to YOUR letter? If yes, then Can we get a copy of that letter?
5) Before issuing appeal letter on November 21, 2017, did you access National Crime Record Bureau statistics regarding attacks on Churches, minorities and OBCs? If YES, can YOU provide the figures from NCRB which are substantiating YOUR allegations regarding your claims; that crime rates against said social groups are higher in areas where "Nationalists" are ruling?
6) Are YOU seriously thinking of floating Catholic political party or planning open appeal to vote in favour of any particular political party?
7) In YOUR said letter, YOU have appealed the people of Gujarat to, "Elect in Gujarat Assembly who would remain faithful to Indian Constitution", does this mean that Members of incumbent ruling party in Gujarat are ruling the state unconstitutionally? If YOU think so, have you ever took legal recourse to bring back incumbent party in Gujarat to Constitutional Path?
8) YOUR letter mentions Nationalists are violating human rights in the country. The Nationalists you are blaming for HR violations are ruling since May 2014, how many complaints of such HR violations by Nationalists have lodged at NHRC by you or any other Catholic group? If not, then why YOU preferred to ignore it?
9) If Indian Nationalist with the deep hatred for minorities are ruling the nation, then why The Vatican thanked same government (For aggressive diplomatic mission) after safe release of Indian Catholic Father Tom Uzhunnalil who was held captive in Yemen?
10) If YOU are really so much concerned about HR violations and sanctity of Indian Constitution, then why YOUR letter didn't find a space to mention HR violations committed by YOUR own Catholic Church in North East Indian states, where YOU have demographic and political dominance on the ground?
11) Glad to know that YOU are very much sincere about atrocities on OBCs and BCs, but shocked to see that there is complete silence on atrocities committed on STs and NTs of North East India by your own Church people. Do YOU think that STs and NTs are not human beings? By ignoring atrocities committed on STs and NTs; didn't YOU prove that YOU have the different set of standards while dealing with incidences of atrocities? Didn't it prove that YOUR compassion and concerns are SELECTIVE?
12) Will YOU reveal who did stall inquiry and arrest of 5 culprits of gang rape on ST girl in Pynursla in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya? Will YOU pursue this matter?
13) Will YOU answer who instigated violent protest against funeral of Bah Kulam Nongrum; Indigenous Khasi priest of Mylliem in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya? Did YOUR beloved Catholic Church condemn this act?
14) Did YOU ever condemn Christianity's conversions-at-gunpoint of Rangfra and Donyi Polo indigenous faith followers of Arunachal Pradesh by YOUR own armed groups? Have YOU ever felt the pain of leaving ancestral faith at gunpoint? Did YOU ever raise voice against it?
15) Can YOU tell Indians who did thwart the investigation of abduction and murder of Indigenous Khasi leader Bah Rijoy Singh Khongshah ( Meghalaya)? Did YOU ever raise the voice against culprits?If YOU ignores our 15 questions, We will assume that you don't have easy and convenient answers to these questions! Hence, after 5th December 2017, We will declare that Archbishop of Gandhinagar is very uncomfortable with these questions and He can't answer our questions because he simply doesn't have it!
In such case, We would be free to draw our own inferences. So please take the pain to answer it and We hope YOU would definitely do that!
Let's hope that the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar will show same vigour in responding those questions which he showed spreading propagandist appear to 'defeat Nationalist' forces.
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