ICC Note:
Christians and other parties have continued to show their frustration regarding comments made by two BJP government officials last week. According to reports, two BJP government officials claimed India should be or has already become a “Hindu nation.” Many Christians face persecution at the hands of extremist groups seeking to make India truly a Hindu nation, so many Christians are frustrated by these types of comments coming from elected officials. Is India at risk of truly becoming a Hindu nation?
7/27/2014 India (Gulf News) – The Opposition Saturday collectively demanded the dismissal of two cabinet ministers in the BJP-led coalition government in Goa, while a Church official said both Co-operation Minister Deepak Dhavalikar and Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, who referred to India as a “Hindu nation”, have no place in the country.
“We will be presenting a memorandum to the Goa governor demanding the dismissal of the two ministers over their comments. If that fails, we will also seek legal recourse to drop the two ministers, who have sworn to abide by the constitution,” state Congress president Fernandes told a press conference at the party’s state headquarters.
Fernandes’ comments came after the two Goan ministers made national headlines with their remarks on India as a Hindu nation.
D’Souza on Friday had said, “India is a Hindu country. It is Hindustan. All Indians in Hindustan are Hindus, including I — I am a Christian Hindu.”
D’Souza is one of the senior-most minority members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa.
Christians account for nearly 26 per cent of the state’s population.
On Thursday Dhavalikar while speaking during a congratulatory motion in the state legislature had said India could well be on the path to becoming a Hindu nation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Both comments had triggered an uproar at the national level as well as in the state’s political and social circles, with the Congress legislature wing even staging a walkout in the assembly Friday against the remark.
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Earlier, a Church official lashed out at the two ministers, saying those who refer to India as a “Hindu nation” had no place in the country.
“… if a minister has made such statements, he has to be taken to task by the government. Because he is going against the constitution of the country,” Fr. Maverick Fernandes said.
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