John Dayal’s response to a former BJP Member of Parliament

Christians are not slave to any political party

From our correspondent

Denzil Atkinson of Hyderabad was the Bharatiya Janata Party's nominee for one of the two seats reserved for Anglo Indians in the Lok Sabha under a Covenant signed with Britain at the time of Independence. He was a good and loyal BJP member. As an MP he is also credited with using some of his MP LAD funds to donate computers to some Christian schools in Andhra Pradesh.

Atkinson has repeatedly questioned what he feels is unjustified criticism of the BJP by John Dayal and other Christian activists. He also harbours the impression, shared by many others it seems, that Christians in India are loyal only to the Congress. They also seem to locate this so-called loyalty in Sonia Gandhi, born and baptized a Catholic in Italy, who is the present head of the Congress.

Atkinson forgets that in Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and the North East, Christians in vast numbers support a range of political parties professing an entire spectrum of ideological beliefs - from Marxism to Tribal and linguistic and ethnic Dravida loyalties. Even the term Anglo-Indian is essentially a linguistic group name with a European male parentage and English as the mother tongue.

Given here is a letter from Atkinson to the All India Christian Council (aicc) and the response by aicc Secretary General Dr John Dayal.

Subject: Rajasthan Government re-sends the anti-conversion bill to the Governor

From: Denzil B Atkinson

Date: 13 June 2006

My dear friend,

Where were our voices when the Bills were passed in a few states during the Congress rule much before the 'demolition of the Babri Masjid', which thenceforth called the BJP 'communal.' Closely look at the meaning of the word 'communal' from various dictionaries, not from the Congress dictionary. Can we then call the Congress 'corruption' party?

The Lord wanted us to shed our evil thoughts and think positively. It would be of greater value. Listen to the Lord and Saviour, Jesus and not to the 'whims and fancies' of those who cannot gain votes without false and discriminatory appeasements. Loosen your loins but not your prayers. I am confident that you as most of us are 'invalids' - we turn to Christ in need but none of us have ever done so when we need it in such circumstances.

Remember Pilate's actions after handing over Jesus to the people for judgment. Let us unite in Faith (It is extremely poor among us Christians today.) and pray that "Your will be done." Let us befriend everyone, friend or foe. You are not aware of what the BJP led NDA has done for the Christian community which was languishing with other governments from as early as the mid 80s.

Denzil B Atkinson,

Ex MP

Dr John Dayal's Response:

Dear Denzil,

Greetings!

We protest when we can. We suffer for the acts of commission, and the many more acts of omission, of our people of earlier generations, as much as we benefit from the good they did.

They had NOT kept quiet when Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal made the anti-conversion laws and when the 1950 Presidential Order against Dalit Christians was passed. Perhaps they were not as united as they could be. Perhaps their research and advocacy was not as good. Their legal advisers made mistakes. And above all, perhaps it was not God's time.

The All India Catholic Union, founded in AD 1919, led the protest for Dalit Christians from 1950. The All India Christian Council, founded 1999, has done some high-octane advocacy since it was founded. We salute the cobbler Susai who dared go to court, and lost.

Perhaps now is the time in which God wants us to act. We are not politicians nor do we owe allegiance to political parties, and therefore we fear NO political party's whip nor do we seek favours, or political office. My book against Sanjay Gandhi and the Indian emergency is listed as a `minor classic' in international libraries and book shops, if I may say so in all modesty. My book against Modi, Gujarat 2002 - Untold and Retold Stories from Hindutva's Lab -- is mandatory for every academic and public library. My articles against FCRA, Visa regulations etc have indicted all the three governments -- Congress, BJP and Janata for sharing the same attitude towards Christians.

Dr Joseph D’Souza, George Menezes, Chhotebhai Noronha and Ambrose Pinto --- many of us have spent a lifetime supporting a secular ethos and condemning fundamentalism wherever we find it. Our colleague Samson Christian, Advocate Edward Arokiadoss and others have often created legal history by getting favourable rulings from courts.

We do not take the Congress as an exclusive friend or the BJP and the TDP as the only enemies or even as enemies for all times. The Sangh Parivar with its clinically sick and warped understanding of nationalism, history and culture, and its equivalent in other religions, of course hardly ignite any fraternal feelings in our bosom.

I plead guilty of demanding that the RSS and the Sangh Parivar be indicted internationally to be at par with the Al Qaeda. I also know of Buddhism groups in Sri Lanka who fill the bill. There must be similar groups in Sikhism and Christianity somewhere in the world.

We want all political entities to go by the Constitution of India, to be secular in word and deed, at all times and in all circumstances. We just seek equity as Citizens of India.

Warm regards.

John Dayal

14 June 2006