Sandesh Prabhudesai
14 October 1999
The Church in Goa feels that the Bharatiya Janata Party, political wing of the Sangh Parivar, is becoming secular day by day. But the Sangh Parivar refuses to believe that the Church is equally secular.
Perhaps this is the reason why the nation-wide campaign against the Church is beginning from Goa, to be called Dharm Jagaran Rath Yatra. It would start from here on 20 October, to hit the national capital by 3 November, two days prior to the visit of Pope John Paul II to India.
To flag off the yatra, coming to Goa is Sadhvi Rithambara, a fiery speaker of the Sangh Parivar, along with Pravinkumar Togadia, international general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. It would then proceed to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, before reaching Delhi.
The issue is obviously the conversions of tribals by the Church missionaries, citing which the Yatra demands a firm commitment from the Pope that such alleged forceful conversions would stop.
"Let him admit publicly that all religions are equal and praying Jesus Christ is not the only way to reach God and salvation", says Mohan Joshi. He heads the Sanskruti Raksha Manch, the banner used this time for the anti-Church yatra.
With VHP chief Ashok Singhal publicly endorsing the cause behind the yatra, it is now crystal clear that the Sangh Parivar also plans to corner the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government as the Pope is visiting India as the state guest.
He would be addressing 170-member Asian Conference of Catholic Bishops in Delhi during his three-day visit. The Manch feels it is an occasion to consolidate its conversion plans in the Asian sub-continent.
Linking the infamous history of inquisition to it, the Manch has also demanded public apology from the Pope for the torturous treatment meted out to Hindus as well as the neo-converts of the Catholic religion way back in the 16th century in Goa, when Portuguese were ruling the state from the City of Old Goa.
"It is a wrong notion that we are digging up history to arouse communal sentiments. On the contrary, we feel it necessary so that the history of de-culturisation and de-nationalisation does not repeat with the ongoing conversions", says Prof Subhash Velingkar, the state-level Manch co-ordinator and also the local RSS general secretary.
To begin with, the Manch organised a yagna last week at Gomanteshwar temple at Brahmpuri (Old Goa), as it was known during pre-Portuguese days, seeking salvation of all the victims of Inquisition, which lasted in Goa for over two centuries.
Brahmanand Swami, who had led a delegation of kar sevaks at the time of Babri Masjid demolition, as well as Shripad Naik, the newly elected BJP MP from North Goa, were also present on the occasion.
Rather than using Hindu fundamentalist theory, the Manch has been using quotes of great nationalists and freedom fighters of Goa like T B Cunha, Menezes Braganza and Francis Luis Gomes, who had vigorously fought against Portuguese imperialism and its religious rule in the state. Even the Manch is today headed by Adv. Joaquim Dias, a freedom fighter and former advocate general of the state.
Following the yagna, the Manch has now begun with Janjagaran Abhiyan (People Awareness Campaign) with a plan to hold at least 200 meetings in 10 days while also distributing pamphlets.
The pamphlets, besides the Church, also criticises India's English press, alleging that it is always full of vicious and perverted news stories of the alleged persecution of Catholics in India after the independence.
"We are not anti-Christian, but definitely against the Church because it refuses to Indianise itself and accept the culture and ethos of India. We would definitely welcome Indianisation of the Indian Church", says Velingkar.
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