Bishop views ousture as Pentecost gift to Gujarat Christians 

Ahmedabad (AsiaNews) - The ultimate saffron icon of Hindutva, Mr.Narendra Modi may soon be on his way out.  The Gujarat Chief Minister (CM)  seems to have exhausted his goodwill with the Party's leadership and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now looking for an appropriate moment to oust their would-be poster boy.  Pressure for Modi's removal is building up not just within the Gujarat BJP unit and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), but also from other sections in the party, who attributed the dismal performance of the BJP in the elections to the Gujarat riots which alienated many voters and impacted the outcome of the elections. . In 2002 armed groups of Hindu extremists fought against Muslim faithfuls killing at least 2000 people. The time for his removal may be soon, as the Supreme Court resumes its hearing on the Gujarat riot related cases

In an exclusive interview with AsiaNews this morning, the Bishop of Ahmedabad, msgr. Thomas Macwan said, "News of the Modi's ouster spells peace for the people of Gujarat.   The minorities (Muslims and Christians) are extremely happy.   The people in the state of Gujarat have been living in fear  and experiencing great insecurity under the BJP regime."    According to Bishop Macwan, "Most of the 'normal citizens' are relieved and delighted."

After his consecration as Bishop of Ahmedabad in January '03, Bishop Macwan met with  Chief Minister Modi.  This itself was a major achievement for the Church of Gujarat  as the CM  puts a great premium on inaccessibility,  and many  previous attempts by his predecessor, Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes of Gandhinagar, to meet the Chief Minister were in vain. Mr. Modi declared his 'concern' about the  situation in Eastern India,  where supposedly there were many  reported cases of  the Church 'forcibly' converting tribal Adivasis and Dalits to  Christianity, by luring them with a better standard of living, educational and medical privileges.  Mr. Modi claimed that he intended to pass the a Freedom of Religion Bill in the Gujarat State Legislative Assembly in order to protect  its citizens. The introduction  to the Bill stated that it was "to provide for freedom of religion by prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by the use of force or allurement or by fraudulent means and for the matters incidental thereto".    The Gujarat Bill contained a  new provision which stated that religious priests must receive prior permission from the civil authority for a proposed conversion.  Fortunately, the Bill has not been promulgated in the Gazette.  "Thanks to the prayers and acts of penance by the faithful and the clergy of Gujarat," Bishop Macwan said,  "the Catholic  Church can  breathe a sigh of relief and continue to carry out its mission in the state."

In his  Easter Message to the Clergy and religious and faithful of  his Diocese, Bishop Macwan wrote about the gravity of the situation prevalent, but declared that  despite the hopeless appearance of the situation for the minorities of Gujarat, God  was not unaware of the sufferings of His people.  The Bishop stated that the general elections in the country synchronized with the liturgical season of the church where the Passion of Christ led to the Resurrection.  He encouraged the faithful not to give up hope and to pray for justice to be reinstated in Gujarat..  "The downfall of the BJP in Gujarat in the recent Lok Sabha polls was the manifestation  of Easter time and now Pentecost has  bestowed on  Gujarat the gift of the  impending dislodging of Narendra Modi."

As of yet, BJP president MV Naidu stated that is no proposal for the replacement of Chief Minister  Narendra Modi, though pressure for his ouster is gaining momentum. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• india
• elections
• minorities
• christians
• muslims