Time PM walked the talk on religious freedom: Christian community


Posted on 25th Feb 2015 12:32 pm by mohit kumar

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The Delhi Catholic Archdiocese Tuesday said the Christian community was in a state of shock over RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comment on Mother Teresa and that it was time Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked the talk on his assurance on not tolerating inciting of religious hatred.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra, however, declined to comment on Bhagwat's statement. "I would not be commenting on this," Patra told IANS.

Bhagwat said in Rajasthan Monday that Mother Teresa's service to the poor was aimed at converting them to Christianity.

Delhi Catholic Archdiocese spokesperson Father Savarimuthu Sankar criticised Bhagwat for being "ill-informed" and "narrow-minded".

"Such allegations against Mother Teresa were made even when she was alive. She is an epitome of motherhood. And somebody of her stature is today being accused of some ulterior motive.

"You are degrading her status. On one hand, you recognise her work and uphold her as a Nobel laureate, and on the other hand, you accuse her of motive of conversions. This reflects Bhagwat's narrow-mindedness. He is not able to look beyond the narrow view of religious conversions. He is so much into that mindset," Sankar told IANS.

"I am feeling sad because Bhagwat is ill-informed."

Criticising the BJP-led government, he said: "As a government, you say you want to ensure freedom of religion in this country but your Hindutva ally has a different stand. There is no proper correspondence between their work and action.

"Modi said 'we will not tolerate religious intolerance'. But he should also be able to reign in these elements like the RSS," he said.

"When Modi says he is an RSS pracharak, then he can't disown his leader Bhagwat.

"It's not enough to say 'it's not the opinion of the government, and we have no right to correct it', when you identify yourself as an RSS pracharak.

"If Modi continues to be silent on this remark, it will create a problem."

Sankar said the "Christian community is in a state of shock. Hardly a week after the PM made that statement, Bhagwat is accusing Mother Teresa who is dead and has been declared as a blessed saint. A well-informed person would never make a such statement.

"The PM says one thing and the Sangh Parivaar says another. There is no follow-up of what the PM said. There is a feeling of uncertainty among the Christians. The PM's speech was all rhetorical. It needs to be translated to some action as well.

"This incident is an opportunity for the prime minister to show he meant those words and walk the talk. You said you would not tolerate, then show it by taking strict action against Bhagwat and reign him in," he said.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has supported Bhagwat.

VHP national spokesperson Surendra Jain told IANS: "There is no contradiction between what the PM said and what Bhagwat said yesterday (Monday). Hindus are in majority in this country. And the Hindu culture is founded on the principle of harmony and tolerance.

"Mother Teresa's agenda of conversion is a well-known fact. It is unfortunate that she is seen as a sacred cow in this country."

The Indian Christian Voice (ICV) also reacted sharply Bhagwat's remarks, terming them an insult to all who for the poor and urged Prime Minister Modi to strongly condemn them.

In a statement issued in Mumbai Tuesday, ICV president Abraham Mathai urged the RSS to first serve and care for lepers, AIDS victims and the poor before making comments that are in "extremely bad taste".

0 Like 0 Dislike
Previous news Next news
Other news

ASEAN: 'It is a matter of pride to co-chair the ASEAN-India Summit, PM Modi said ASEAN is a pillar of India's Act-East policy

PM Modi in ASEAN Summit PM Modi today addressed the 43rd ASEAN Summit going on in Jakarta. PM Mod

World Ocean Day: Kiren Rijiju engaged in cleaning Besant Nagar beach of Chennai, and gave this message to the public

On World Oceans Day, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju participated in the cleanliness d

Fierce fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine, Russian army shot down a Ukrainian drone near Crimea

The Russian military has stepped up attacks on cities in eastern Ukraine. On Thursday, there was

Political turmoil in Pakistan: Former judge Azmat Saeed's name for caretaker PM, he was the one who sentenced Nawaz in the Panama case

Imran Khan was removed from the post of PM after the National Assembly of Pakistan was dissolved.

8 to 10% Growth is eminently achievable

 

Government is working on a new ag

Mumbai Rain: It is raining heavily in some parts of Mumbai, IMD's yellow alert in these areas

Heavy rain lashed parts of Mumbai on Monday morning, but public transport services were not affec

Tripura protest condemns killing of Bangladeshi-American writer

Agartala, March 1 (IANS) Intellectuals, singers, writers and political activists staged a prote

Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: Bicycle has now become Sahara in Sri Lanka, demand increased due to shortage of oil and expensive price

Sri Lanka is grappling with a historic economic crisis. From food items to fuel, the prices of ev

LokSabha Election 2024 Polls: 'The election is between the one who opened fire on Ram Mandir servants and the one who built Ram Mandir', Amit Shah said

On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held an election rally in favor of BJP candidate Shivesh

PM Modi said on Women's Day: Net-zero target by 2070, said this big thing about Finance Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed a post-budget webinar on the topic 'Financing a

Sign up to write
Sign up now if you have flare of writing..
Login   |   Register
Follow Us
Indyaspeak @ Facebook Indyaspeak @ Twitter Indyaspeak @ Pinterest RSS



Play Free Quiz and Win Cash