During this Christmas season, several Churches have been attacked. Miscreants had the audacity to vandalize schools for celebrating Christmas. On the pretext of religious conversions, the attack on Christians has become a daily affair. The Anti-Conversion Law has been proposed in the state only to harass the Christian minority community. Whenever elections are round the corner, politicians become anxious about Hindu Dharma. Their hate speeches pollute society much more than the air pollution in Delhi. While making allegations about religious conversions, an MP gives a call for the conversion of Pakistanis into Hinduism. And, he says all of this in the precincts of a religious mutt. The police who foist suo-motu cases against comedians seem to be enjoying these hate speeches.
It does not require any courage to form a group of rowdy elements and attack schools. In fact, only cowards indulge in such activities. The attacks reflect the frustration of the perpetrators who target the Christians having failed to match them in their service to the people – be it in education or health. The attackers seem to have problems not with the alleged conversions but with the service that the Christians carry out in India. Everyone knows that these services are reaching the Dalits and the downtrodden who have historically been deprived of education and health facilities. Upper castes did not even tolerate their physical proximity and did not allow them to touch community water sources. The entry of Muslims and Christians in the country slowly paved the way for these sections to get liberated from excruciating clutches of the caste system.
If Christians indulge in conversions through their services, the Sangh Parivar people should retain them through their services to the downtrodden and Dalits. Even if they didn’t do any service, they should own them up by treating them with dignity and equal social status. Neither will they do it, nor will they tolerate others do it. At stake here are the services rendered by Christians. If the provision of service is considered a crime in the eyes of a religion, how can it be accepted as a religion at all.
The economy is in tatters today. The government lacks in resources to provide for the basic needs of people. At the same time, the government is spending huge amounts for the construction of temples, statues, and cowsheds. This is not benefitting the people in any way. The money can be spent meaningfully for meeting the needs of the poor. The government should also encourage religious organizations of all hues to spend money on the poor. Instead, the government is harassing religious organizations that are engaged in the service of the poor. On the pretext of cow protection, the government sacrificed farmers interests. A situation has now been created where the government is forced to spend lakhs of rupees on sheltering the barren cows at a time when it has no funds to spend for the education and health sector. In such a situation, if a religion/community comes forward to help the poor, it is laudable. In fact, all religions should compete with each other in providing such services. If Churches who have been rendering yeoman’s service from the time of the British are indeed converting people by luring them, Hindus would have been reduced to a minority long ago. How is it that the Hindu religion is in danger now when the BJP is in power, something which did not happen even when the British ruled the country?
It is however true that the Hindu religion is in danger today but not in the way that these elements are projecting. The Hindu religion that was led by saints and noblemen such as Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru, Mahatma Gandhi has been captured by rowdies, goondas, suspected terrorists, and politicians. Someone who gives a call for mass rape identifies himself as a Hindu Yogi. Those who are facing criminal cases call themselves as protectors of Hinduism and indulge in all kinds of criminal activities but take protection under the garb of Hinduism. It is because of such elements that the Hinduism is truly in danger. True spiritual leaders should think of how to protect Hindu religion from such dangerous forces.
Similarly, banks in this country are in danger. So are government institutions. The country’s borders are in danger. The education system is in danger. The financial system is in danger. Politicians should discuss how to protect these institutions. Otherwise, India will find itself in a sorry state. We must first protect the country. Later we can discuss how to protect religions.
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Bhubaneswar (PTI): Three-time Congress MLA and former minister Surendra Singh Bhoi resigned from the primary membership of the party after 38 years and joined the ruling BJD on Friday.
Two BJP leaders Nilgiri MLA Sukant Nayak and the party's Cuttack district president Prakash Chandra Behera - also resigned from their party and are likely to join the BJD.
In a letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Surendra Singh Bhoi said he has resigned from the post of Bolangir district Congress committee (DCC) president as well as the party.
"I beg to say here that due to personal reasons I would like to resign from the primary membership, and the post of president DCC, Bolangir as well as AICC membership. With great honour, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to serve the party and my state for 38 years with passion, dedication and discipline," he said in the letter.
He joined the BJD at Sankha Bhawan, the headquarters of the ruling party.
BJP MLA Sukant Nayak also resigned from the party.
In a letter to Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, the Nilgiri MLA said, "I do hereby tender my resignation on today (i.e 29.03.2024) from the primary membership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The same may please be accepted."
Nayak was elected to the assembly in 2014 on BJD ticket from Nilgiri. He, however, switched over to BJP in 2019 and also won the seat. He has now decided to return to the party from where he started his electoral journey, BJD sources said.
Former Chitrakonda MLA & BJD leader Dambaru Sisa also resigned from the primary membership of the party on Thursday.
In his letter to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, Sisa said, "My aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning to serve the people of the state and the constituency. I believe I am unable to do this anymore in this party. So to meet the aspirations of my people and my workers, I believe it is best to look forward to a fresh start."
The development came a day after Cuttack MP Bhatruhari Mahtab and ex-MP Siddharth Mohapatra joined BJP in Delhi on Thursday. Mahtab had resigned from BJD on March 22.
Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases between May 13 and June 1.