Anti-Christian sentiment a serious threat in India
By Abhik Kumar Chanda
NEW DELHI (AFP): A deepening row between Hindu hardliners allied to India's ruling coalition and the minority Christian community over hate attacks against the Church could carry a serious political and social fallout, experts say.
Christians, who comprise about two percent of India's one billion overwhelmingly Hindu population, say they have never felt as threatened since India became independent in 1947.
Hindu groups blamed for incidents of anti-Christian violence, claim they are being unfairly blamed and that the attacks are linked to infighting among various Christian denominations and church bodies.
Political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan told AFP the rising tensions could prove costly for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist-led coalition.
"It is true that violence against Christians has never been so bad as since Vajpayee came to power in 1998," he said.
"What is dangerous for the government is that the Sangh Parivar (Hindu organizations allied to Vajpayee's party) has stepped up the rhetoric. Several partners in the ruling alliance are absolutely opposed to this phenomenon and the consequent attacks.
"The common perception is that it is all government-sheltered or encouraged. The government has to see that the criminals are punished in a free and impartial manner. It has failed to do that so far," Rangarajan said.
The latest wave of anti-Christian attacks involved serial bomb blasts in churches in two southern states and the western state of Goa.
Father Dominic Emmanuel of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India accused Hindu bodies with links to Vajpayee's party, such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP - World Hindu Forum) -- of fanning communal tension.
"These people need whipping boys. Between 1947 and 1992 they trained their guns on the Muslims. They now feel the Muslims have been effectively silenced. So now we are supposed to be the threats to their religion and Hindu society.
"If this continues, it will rent India's social fabric."
Father Dominic said the church had this month refused to hold talks with Hindu bodies such as the VHP since they were not representative of the Hindu population.
"We have no problems with Hindus at large. But the question is -- are these fundamentalist bodies really representative of Hindu society?"
Vishnu Hari Dalmia, a leader of the VHP, said the rejection of talks was unwarranted.
"Who are they to decide who our representatives will be? They had wanted a senior Hindu priest to be present in the talks. Our reaction is that the Pope should attend any future dialogue."
Dalmia also rejected the idea that Hindus were targeting Christians after marginalising Muslims.
"They don't know what they are talking about. Muslims are a threat to Hindu society still. Hindus have been keeping quiet for so long but the modern Hindu will no longer remain a silent spectator turning the other cheek.
"We will not take the rap for attacks stemming from infighting between church bodies and for violence staged by Pakistani intelligence."
Indian officials have blamed the recent church bombings on a hardline Muslim group with close links to Pakistan.
But political commentator Rangarajan said the government could not keep on using the obscure "foreign hand" -- a pet phrase of the Indian government -- "as an alibi for government inaction."
Vajpayee last month met Pope John Paul II in a damage control exercise during a European tour.
The pontiff appealed for religious amity, saying: "I hope that the perpetrators or masterminds realize that death and destruction in the name of religion, or the manipulation of religion to satisfy one's own interests are not possible."