Christian Team Meets Sonia Gandhi, Express Concern Over FCRA Bill By SAR NEWS
NEW DELHI/BANGALORE, (SAR NEWS) -- Christian have expressed their strong reservations to certain provisions relating to the Foreign Currency Remittance Management Control Bill (FCRA), which is likely to be introduced in Parliament in its next session. A delegation comprising the president of the Federation Of Christian Associations of North America, Bernard Malik, George Abraham, and national convener of the Global Council of Indian Christians, Sajan K. George, met the Indian National Congress party president and chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance Government, Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi, September 17, and shared their concern with her of Christians and other minorities in India who feel that they could be the target of the new FCRA provisions. They said the proposed clauses in the Bill were subjective and could be arbitrarily interpreted by a registration authority to penalise Christian charitable institutions that are doing essential social service among the needy and downtrodden. Clause 12 (grant of certificate) and certain other clauses are mischievous and the provisions can lead to communal tension or disharmony if any Christian group conducts prayer meetings or holds conferences or conventions, the delegation said. The delegation pointed out that the unnecessary insertion of the word conversion in an important Bill like this appeared to stigmatise the Christian community and stop humanitarian and faith-related activities in future. We believe that the Bill drafted by the previous Hindu radical government shows very little sensitivity to the freedom of conscience as enshrined in the Indian constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they said. The Christian representatives said that if the became a law it would provide fodder to extremist right to further persecute the law-abiding and service-minded persons in the Christian community. A possible change in federal government with Hindu radicals may put many Christian charitable institutions out of business and millions of innocents lives would be in jeopardy, they told Ms. Gandhi. The team also apprised Ms. Gandhi of the plight of Dalit Christians who are struggling to secure parity with Dalits of other faiths in economic and social reservations offered by the government. They pleaded with Ms. Gandhi to take a favourable stand for the cause of the Dalits when the matter comes before the Supreme Court of India.
