Truth Behind Conversions and Acts of Violence
 

Ram Puniyani
Posted May 25, 2000

Comment:

  Last few years have seen a massive rise in anti-Christian violence, more so in BJP (and also BJP-Shiv Sena) ruled states. These acts are apparently in retaliation to the "Forced Conversions" done by missionaries. In 1996 there were 7 cases of anti-Christian violence, in 1997 it went up to 24 and in 1998 these violent act were more than 120 in number. These included attacking churches, burning Bibles, intimidating missionaries to ‘Quit India’, and most horrific of these all, burning of Father Graham Stewart Stains along with his two sons (Philip and Timothy, Ages 9 and 7 respectively) while they were sleeping in his jeep. Prior to this the acts, which drew attention due to their serious nature included stoning of the Catholic Hospital Association of India (CHAI) camp (Feb 14, 98) by around 60 activists of RSS, VHP and ABVP at Nandurga in Latur region, rampaging and disrupting of Jesus festival on Pologround, Baroda, brutal attack on Sister Rani Maria, who was hacked to death in Indore and humiliation of Fr. Christudas in Dumka. These are just few of the examples from the long list of Sangh Parivar (SP) violence against the Christians.

  There is a very clear pattern in this violence. In an interview given to Teesta Setalwad (Editor: Communalism Combat (CC)) Mr. C.P. Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Gujarat (CC: Oct. 98) pointed out, “One thing was clear in the pattern of incidents. It was the activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajaranj Dal who were taking law into their hands, which posed a serious danger to peace in Gujarat. Many of the attacks on minorities took place after these organisations had whipped up the local passions against alleged conversions (by Christian missionaries) and alleged forced inter-religious marriages... our investigations revealed that in most cases these were entirely baseless allegations.”

  We should note that these attacks have gone up in number tremendously after the BJP led govt. has assumed office at the center in March 98. More than that what is most glaring is that the top govt. leaders rather than condemning these organisations come to the rescue and defense of these organisations by their statements, almost immediately after the incidence has occurred. It is not just a coincidence that maximum number of these incidences have occurred in Gujarat and Maharashtra where BJP and BJP-Shiv Sena coalition is ruling. The situation in Gujarat, in particular is very frightening for minorities as Gujarat already sounds like the dream come true for the Hindu communalist forces, and it appears more to be a ‘Hindu religious state’ from where it has been decided to eliminate all the minorities. The aggressive forces (VHP, Bajrang Dal etc.) are waving the flags of Hindu communalism/fanaticism, which may be the benchmark of Sangh Parivar’s rule in future. Also most such attacks have occurred on and around institutions meant for the poor. As an exception to this the Church run school in Karnataka were told to install an image of Saraswati before a particular stipulated date and to begin the day with Saraswati Vandana.

  The intensity of violence was so much that President K.R. Narayanan, the most upright President India has ever had, had to write to the Prime Minister, in the aftermath of Fr. Stains killing. He went on to characterise this act as the incident belonging to the “world’s inventory of black deeds”, “a monumental aberration”, which went against the traditions cherished by all Indians. He went on to write, “that some one who has spent years caring for patients of leprosy, instead of being thanked and appreciated as a role model, should be done to death in this manner is a monumental aberration from the traditions of tolerance and humanity for which India has been known” (The Asian Age, Jan 25, 1999). Similarly, so perturbed was Fali Nariman, one of country’s legal lights, that he registered a protest against the attacks on Christians in Gujarat by handing over the brief to argue the Narmada case back to state govt.

  The all out attack and terrorisation of Christian community created a fear psychosis amongst them in several parts of India. As such Christians are unevenly distributed across India. In Orissa they are 2.5-3.5%, Kerala 20-22%, and in Nagaland 87%. Dr. Tahir Mehmood the Chairman of National Minorities Commission said in anguish, ‘The Nation must realise that we cannot act in isolation. Whatever happens to Christians in India would have its effect outside India also as there are at least 75 Christian dominated countries’ (Free Press Journal, 25 Sept. 98). One cannot forget the contribution of Christian missionaries to social and cultural life of the country. The first printing press in Kerala was established by Christian missionaries. The first Malayalam dictionary was written by a German missionary, Herman Gunder, who also started the first Malayalam News Paper, ‘Rajya Samacharam’. Their contribution to education and health service cannot be ignored even by the rank communalists.

MYTH : Christians and the Secularists are exaggerating the attacks on Christians.

FACT : During the period of 1998 there have been more than 128 cases of recorded violence against the Christian community more so against their priests and in the form of attacks on Churches and in the form of burning of Bible etc. (Box). There were spates of incidences around 25th December when prayer halls in Manya villages were set on fire, demolished or partly damaged. Also houses of Christians have been damaged. On September 2, 1997 Fr. Christudas was assaulted and paraded naked, on October 27, 1997 Fr. A.T. Thomas was murdered. In November, same year there were series of attacks on parish members, written threats were given to rid the districts of Christians in 3 years by VHP activists. On November 22, 97 in Maram (Manipur) Fr. Joce Nedumattahil, Principal of Don Bosco school was murdered, there were series of attacked on CHAI Camp and Yeshu Festival. These acts which came up in most of the parts of the country all of a sudden, one after the other, were something not witnessed earlier. Fr. Stains and his son's murders were the ‘peak’ act of these communal forces. This unprovoked violence was brought to the notice of the country by section of media, human rights groups and National Human Rights and minorities commission. By any standards occurrence of such events is a shame on the civil society where people are not to be discriminated against on the basis of religion caste and gender. These events coincided with the BJP led  coalition coming to power at the center. Maneka Gandhi, a non-BJP minister in the central cabinet singled out Gujarat and Maharashtra, for being the worst affected by this malady, (Circular from United Christian form for Human Rights - 11.9.98).
The features of this violence are (Manini Chatterjee, Asian Age, 11 July 98,).

*Attacks on small defenseless and isolated Christian groups in states where they are an insignificant minority. VHP has so far not dared to attack the community in Goa and Kerala where they are in larger numbers.

*The tacit and sometimes active connivance of state machinery (especially where BJP or its allies are ruling) This violence has been well orchestrated by the members of Sangh Parivar (VHP, BJP, Bajarang Dal etc.). A systematic misinformation campaign has been going on along with this

  The violence is severe, and spread geographically. Those belonging to SP are calling these protests against their violent acts as exaggerated as they have already engineered massive anti-Muslim pogroms in which hundreds lost their lives and hundreds of crores of property was gutted. Also that violence occurred at the regular intervals. In contrast, the anti-Christian violence came all of a sudden, is prevalent from last year in a sustained manner, claiming few lives but playing a bigger role of ‘intimidating’ the missionaries, and is acting as a signal to them as to what lies in store for them if they continue doing someth-ing which is not to the liking of the SP, which is menacingly proceeding to abolish the democratic freedoms and liberal space in the society. The violence as protested against is ‘not’ small in extent, it is all pervading, is of grave intensity, and is sustained in nature. Of course it does not have the similarities to the one unleashed by SP against the Muslims. The difference here is due to difference in the objective of violence. Here in case of anti-Christian violence the attack is on physical symbol of Church especially on the personnel involved in grass root empowerment of the poor. It is also meant to curtail their reach to the poor and deprived of the society. (In case of Anti- Muslim violence the goal had been to consolidate the elite Hindus and sections of middle classes around the politics of SP and also to ghettoise them)

MYTH: There is no Sangh Parivar campaign against the Christians, it is a spontaneous anger of ‘vanvasis’ against the conversion activities of missionaries because of which this violence is taking place.

FACT : After most of the investigations have implicated Sangh Parivar in this anti-Christian violence, they have come forward with this thesis that due to ‘forcible’ conversions done by the missionaries the native vanvasis (!not adivasis) are against the Christian missionaries and ‘they’, the vanvasis, are rising ‘spontaneously’ to attack the Christians missionaries and churches. They have also gone on to propagate that the present anti-Christian violence is an international conspiracy to destabilise the BJP led coalition govt. (Since then it has fallen due to its own contrdictions). At another level the SP leaders have started dissociating with the public fronts floated by SP to undertake this act e.g. the Hindu Jagran Manch. Also the decent mask of SP, Mr. Vajpayee while dissociating with the provocative statements of Ashok Singhal (VHP) etc., in the end called for a ‘National debate on conversions' (more on this later). While the ‘spine’ of BJP politics Mr. Advani, ‘the demolisher par excellence’, sheds a crocodile tear while saying that in our Hindu society the rights of minorities should be protected.

SP painstakingly ‘built’ its campaigns much before the attacks on Christians ‘suddenly’ surfaced. SP has been engaged in ‘word-of-mouth’ campaign against them. Also their Shakha baudhiks(intellectual sessions) have been spewing venom against Muslims, Christians and Communists (all progressives and those struggling for human rights are included in this category by SP). But these attacks are part of a systematic programme, which stems from the Hindutva ideology as per which this land belongs to the Hindus, and Christians are aliens like Muslims, who have been on the receiving end from last 4½ decades. This ideology is the core of SP politics and through various conveyor belts of ideological propagation it ultimately gets translated into the anti-minority violence, executed by VHP and Bajarang Dal. Their ideology as propounded by their 'Guruji' Mr. M. S. Golwalkar states “In Hindusthan exists and must needs exist the ancient Hindu nation and nought else but the Hindu Nation. All those not be-longing to the national, i.e. Hindu race, religion, culture and language naturally fall out of the pale of real “National” life...

“There are only two courses open to foreign elements, either to merge themselves in the national race and adopt its culture, or to live at its mercy so long as the national race may allow them to do so and to quit the country at the sweet will of the national race... From this standpoint, sanctioned by the experience of shrewd old nations, the foreign races in Hindusthan must either adopt Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but those of the glorification of the Hindu race and culture, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, for less any preferential treatment - not even citizen’s rights. We are an old nation; let us deal, as old nations ought to and do deal, with the foreign races who have chosen to live in this country.”  ("We" or our Nationhood Defined, 1939).

  It is as per this ideology that violence has been unleashed against these ‘aliens’! Incidentally Christianity here is as old as 1949 years, since the time St. Thomas first established churches in Kerala in the year52 A.D. If we have a look at some of the specific cases this point will become clear that SP has ‘cleverly’ engineered these attacks. “VHP leaders at times have boasted of their role is violence. In  Dangs (Gujarat) and Nashik (Maharashtra) office bearers of VHP addressed the rallies which issued threats to Christians in the area.” (Then they came.... AIFOFDR Report, April 99). In Gujarat the BJP govt. abbettd in this atmosphere of hatred by ordering a communal census (reminiscent of Nazi Germany). This order was issued by intelligence wing of state police, which has mischievous questions about both the minorities. Surendra Kumar Jain the national convener of Bajaran Dal and many other VHP leaders have given the call for ‘second quit India’ call to the Christians. On similar lines BD (Bajarang Dal) threatened that missionaries should quit Peth by February else....

  A fact finding committee of CPDR and Andhra Pradesh civil liberties committee concluded that ‘A concerted campaign by Hindutva forces is responsible for spate of recent anti-minorities atrocities in Gujarat. The National Minority Commission (NMC) (Frontline, Oct. 23, 98) pointed out that events is Gujarat, “have seriously wounded the religious sentiments of the minorities and caused fear, dismay and disillusionment with nations secular egalitarian traditions”. NMC particularly blamed VHP to be behind the anti minority tirades. Even earlier the intolerance and violence of SP towards Christian minority was well documented in Justice Venugopal Inquiry Commission report into Kanyakumari riots (1982). Says the report “RSS adopts a militant attitude and sets itself up as the champions of what is considers to be the right of the Hindus against minorities. It has taken upon itself to teach the minorities their place, and if they are not willing to learn their place, then to teach them a lesson.”

  The systematic build up from core ideology to propaganda and physical attack is being executed by different wings of SP. There is nothing ‘spontaneous’ about these well-planned attacks and intimidations. One can add that these anti-Christian attacks picked up in 96 and suddenly reduced its intensity after the brutal murder of Pastor Stains.

MYTH: Christian missionaries are using force and inducement to convert the poor tribals into Christianity.

FACT : Conversions using force, coercion, inducement has been at the ‘center’ of SP propaganda, which is at the root of anti-minority violence. The constitution is very clear on the issue of conversion. Article 25 of the constitution gives fundamental rights to every citizen to ‘profess, practice and propagate ones' religion. Propagation can also lead to people changing their convictions as well. Constitution debates make this point abundantly clear. Banning conversion did not find place in the constitution for two-reason (a) it is violation of fundamental right (b) that will make re-conversions also impossible.

 Asghar Ali Engineer (Secular Perspective, Jan 16, 99: Controversies on conversions) points out that “conversion could be of four types 1) conversions through conviction 2) conversion on account of ones social situation 3) conversion through inducement and 4) conversion through fraud. The whole history of India bears out that conversion through conviction and fraud are extremely rare.” Maximum conversions have taken place in history because of social situation of dalits and tribals.

  India's tyrannical caste structure and exclusionism of the higher castes has been the major cause of the low caste people, adivasis included, adopting other religions. The most initial caste rebellions arose in the form of Jainism and Buddhism. These religions opposed the caste system and sections of people on the lower rung of caste hierarchy and some others also, adopted these religions. The Brahminical backlash wiped Buddhism out of this country and much later Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar paved the way for adoption of this religion by the low castes after his failure to get justice within the confines of the traditional Hindu religion. Hindu society prohibited the Shudras, the untouchables, from access to public drinking water, entry to temples and also prevented their learning.  Frustration at failure to get these rights led Dr. Ambedkar to a deep introspection. Leading him to conclude that conversion to Buddhism, which is an egalitarian religion, may be the first step in getting social justice, long denied to the Shudras.

  Right during first century A.D. Christianity entered India through the trading ships from the West. Legend of St.Thomas has been associated with coming of Christianity to India, as he came twice on a mission to India. His second mission, for which there is stronger evidence was around 52 A.D. to Malabar Coast. He established a series of Syrian Churches along the coast.

  Christian missionaries have been setting up Churches, seminaries and schools wherever and whenever possible. They learnt Indian Languages, set up printing presses and published religious as well as secular literature, to spread literacy and their faith. In the process they adopted Indian languages for their communication. Many native practices were adopted by Churches. Despite 1950 years of Christian presence, and 200 years of British rule the population of Christians in 1981 was 2.56%, which in 1991 stood at 2.44 %. Despite this the threat of 'their' population overtaking the Hindu population has begun to be projected from last one year or so.

  Conversions to Islam have been another bone of contention. The popular common sense by now has started believing that Islam spread on the strength of sword. A more objective peep into the past will show that apart from the few conversions achieved through coercion, most of the conversions to Islam have occurred from poor peasants, Shudras, who embraced Islam under the influence of the Sufi saints, with the hope of escaping the tyranny of Braminical social order. Swami Vivekanand says "why amongst the poor of India so many are Mohammedans? It is nonsense to say that they were converted by the sword. It was to gain their Liberty from Zamindars and priests."(Collected works, Vol. VIII, pg.330) In times just passed by a big issue was made of this fact and this misinformation was used to spread religious hatred in the society. Also in the aftermath of conversions of some Dalits to Islam in Meenakshipuram in 1881, a big campaign was launched to persecute the Muslims.

  Similarly there had been strong currents to escape the religious hierarchy by embracing Sikhism. Undoubtedly the number of untouchables and other lower castes embracing Sikhism was very high right from the beginning. In early part of 20th century a large section of untouchables adopted Sikhism. This occurred in the face of stiff opposition of Arya Samaj movement, which in response to this started the Shuddhi,(purification) programme to re-convert the Muslims and Sikhs to Hinduism. Overall the Hindu political elite was more disturbed about adopting Christianity and Islam rather than any "Indian" religion, meaning thereby those religions which arose in India i.e. Buddhism, Sikhism etc.

  The common thread between all these has been the longing of the low caste to escape from the caste hierarchies of Hinduism. Also as a matter of rule the majority of conversions did occur from amongst those belonging to the low castes, the untouchables, the Shudras, and depending on the situation they embraced either Buddhism, Islam or Christianity. The current bogey of conversions ignores the fact that conversions are a reaction against the neglect of Adivasis for so long, and it reflects Adivasis' longing for better life. The Christian missions have also inspired people like Swami Vivekanand who went on to found Ramkrishana Mission to undertake relief and welfare work amongst the poor of the community.

  In passing it will the pertinent to add that as such though missionsry activities, irrespective of who undertakes it have their own limited role in this uneven, unequal society. There have been various criticisms against these activities. The radical people have criticised it for it being a ploy for diverting the attention of people from the basic injustices prevalent in the society.

  SP is deriving maximum legitimacy of anti-minority violence, on the issue of conversion. They have not been able to show instances of forced conversions. “The team could find no instance of forced conversion in areas it visited. Indeed, in areas it visited in MP, Orissa and Maharashtra, the Christian missionaries were engaged not in conversion but in social work (education and health service)..... number of conversions was negligible, and even number of Christians small. In Keonjhar district, where Stains and his two sons were killed, the Christian population was 0.31% in 91, the same was percentage a decade earlier. In Dangs, the number of conversions has been substantial over the last two decades, but there is no evidence of force, frauds or material inducements...” (Report of AIFOFDR, ibid)

  It is strange that the SP has been able to ‘successfully' raise the issue of conversions at a time when the all India percentage of Christian population has dropped down from 2.56 (1981) to 2.44 (1991) (EPW, Feb. 27,1999 pg.524). Christians are amongst the slow growing community due to better access to education. It is interesting to note that the most absurd assertion of SP that Christians have launched a well organised programme, in conjunction with Vatican, Sonia Gandhi and some western powers to dominate Hindus by 2001. It is true that there are some handful of churches like the Seventy Day Adven-tists, Mormons, Gospal for Asia, Harvest Mission Church etc., which are very active and whose activities may be objectionable. But these are mere exceptions to the rule. These statistics speak for themselves. Similarly allegation are made that the Churches are funded by ‘Christian Countries’ and their motives are mainly conversions and promotion of insurgency in the North East. The money received by the Church comes through the official channels and is regulated by the home ministry. Churches are not the only organisations to receive foreign funds. VHP these days may probably be one of the major organisations to receive foreign funds. As far the insurgency or secessionism; it has little to do with religion. We should recall that Tamil Nadu was the first state to threaten to secede from India. Then Khalistan movement also had secessionist streaks. In North East (NE) the state with least Christian population, Manipur, has the strongest insurgency movement amongst all the states of NE.
Through people had been converting, but the reasons for the same come more from the ‘problems of daily life’ rather than from the ‘problems of after life’. Fr. Stains was more engaged in anti-leprosy work, which his widow is continuing despite the huge personal loss. Most of the educational and health institutions have excelled themselves in providing first rate services. If force and induce-ment would have ‘worked’ 192 years of British rule would have left more than half the population Christians today.

MYTH : Conversion is change of Nationality and so their is a need debate the issue to ensure a ban on conversions.

FACT : This propagation of SP is based on a notion of nationality which is related to the pre-modern, hierarchical value system, where religion is the sole marker of nationality. This notion goes on to state that Hindus are a Nation since last 5000 years when Aryan came to India and settled here. For this concept the other religions, esp. Islam and Christianity are alien religions and the secular concept of Nationality (where geopolitical realities are the basis of Nation state) is a Western Concept unsuitable for an ancient country like India. This concept of religion based nationality was articulated and supported by the Nawabs and Rajas (Muslim and Hindu kings), Jagirdars and Jamindars (Muslim and Hindu landlord), a section of upper caste (especially Brahmins) and traditional trades (Banias). This idea got politically articulated in the politics of Muslim league (Islam based Nation) and Hindu Mahasabha, R.S.S. (Hinduism based Nation: Hindu Rashtra). In contrast to this the emerging sections of society: administrators, industrialists, workers, and poor peasants who were aspiring for liberty from clutches of landlords, supported the concept of Secular Nationalism which predominantly got expressed in the politics of Indian National Congress. That's why people like Surendranath Banerjee and Lokmanya Tilak said that India is a Nation in the making and Mahatma Gandhi the leader of anti-British struggles came to be recognised as ‘Father of the Indian Nation’.

  Thus one remains a part of Indian Nation irrespective of ones religion. This is the constitutional, secular and democratic understanding. In contrast to this various wings of SP are striv-ing for Hindu Rashtra, Hindu Nation. They condemn the notion that Indian nation state emerged through the freedom struggle, neither do they accept that India was a ‘nation in the making' during freedom struggle, nor that Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the (India’s) Nation. Thus their assertion that conversion is a change of Nationality is in conformity with the pre-democratic, non- democratic understanding of theirs' and has nothing to do with the constitutional norms or values. Their assertions are not in tune with the principles inherent in our constitution.

The need for debating the issue of conversions does not arise as already their are some democratic freedoms which are the founda-tion of our constitution and people have as much right to change their faith as people have the right to propagate and follow a particular faith. The constitutional norms are very clear on this. It is being made an issue by SP as many adivasis and others feel that they have slightly better social status and privi-leges due to adopting a different religion.

MYTH: Conversions are causing social tensions and so should be banned and re-conversions are a real solution to this.

FACT : The plea put forward is that those who get converted get alienated from the local community, are contemptuous of the community and so the non-converts have been attacking the Christians out of anger. Also in most of the cases it is Christians who first attack and Hindus are ‘just’ retaliating. This ploy is very cleverly ‘constructed’ and is a manufactured propagation. This construct has been evolved as a justification for the attack on the Christians missionaries and churches etc. In a way this conversion is a non-issue. The real problem for SP is that this conversion gives the adivasis a new sense of dignity due to which they refuse to submit blindly to the dictates of the rural elite. SP has realised this. Also they realise the fact that activities of missionaries in educating them is making them more aware of their rights, because of which they don’t keep quiet any longer, question the status-quo and this questioning of status quo is what is perceived as tension by the SP. The conversion as such gives them freedom from caste hierarchy, and education, which can help them in jobs, opportunity for better health care, better job opportunities and a reinforced sense of identity. The AIFOFDR teams (ibid) which extensively visited M.P., Orissa and Maharashtra adivasi areas (pg. 90) found that Christian missionaries were engaged not in conversion but in social work (education and health service). The number of conversions was negligible and number of Christians small e.g. in Keonjhar where Fr. Stains was working and has been alleged to be doing the conversion work the percentage of Christian population was 0.31, the same as a decade earlier. Though in Dangs the number of conversions is substantial, there is no evidence of force, fraud or material inducements. The team also found that in many a places in the same family there are Chris-tians as well as non-Christians and there was no tensions on that count. The tension element is being introduced lately due to the activities of SP e.g. in Peth in Maharashtra where the anti-Christian hysteria has been whipped up and minor local issues have been cleverly manipulated to create friction.

  The major cause of tension has been the ‘Ghar Vapasi’ (reconversion of VHP). Unlike the conversions to Christianity, conversion to Hinduism of VHP variety is not incidental. It is a well-planned and well-targeted programme. It is not the out come of welfare activity but is an aggressive imposition on the adivasis who have got converted. The SP assumption is that all adivasis are Hindus, irrespective of the fact that their rituals, festivals, absence of Hindu holy books, absence of Hindu priests so far, different objects of worship (not Ram and Krishna) have nothing in common with any of the practices of any Hindu sect, least so with the Brahmical Hinduism propagated to be THE Hinduism by SP.

  Tension is coming in these areas because through a well designed programme SP is bringing in ‘Hate-Christian’ campaigns into these areas. Number of SP cadres posing as Sadhus are touring these areas and are trying to impose upper caste cultural practices amongst adivasis. Irfan Engineer, who has worked extensively amongst tribals in Dangs points out (Hindu, 23.1.99, Conversions in Dangs). “Scores of temples have been constructed and there non-adivasis dieties, Shankara and Hanumana, are worshipped. Adivasi dances, cultural practices and values are looked down upon and labeled as backward. Children in Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram are taught to worship their parents.... Tutoring the Adivasi children into acceptance of social hierarchies automatically follow. The fast pace at which (they) are pushing through Brahmanisation of Adivasis will create a lot of turbulence in society which may not be able to cope up with change.”

  As such if we see SP is out to create social tensions for its political designs, due to which it has been targeting the Christian community. To begin with the movement of SP type always requires an external enemy to keep its base united and to strengthen themselves. The anti-Muslim Campaign has more or less got exhausted by now and they may not be able to use it for some more time to come. So the selection of Christians for the ‘enemy slot’ is more or less automatic and once this gets exhausted the third in their enemy list, communist (and all human rights groups) will be given this ‘exalted’ status. Secondly, SP’s social base is rich peasant, the one’s who have been taking over adivasi land and are being ‘served’ by the adivasis. Their conversion to Christianity and consequent awakening disturbs this cosy and convenient arrangement. It threatens to disturb the status quo. Thirdly, SP realises that its political arm, the BJP cannot come to power on its own with absolute majority unless its vote bank is expanded. Having reached the ‘peak’ in cities, adivasis can be one major addition to the vote bank and may transform their status. Lastly SP is against the secularisation process (a process accompanying the industrialisation and accompanying cultural transformation whereby the hold of clergy over the social and family affairs is greatly reduced) . This process in India is going on slowly. Since Church is one of the major organisations spreading modern education, its not to the liking of ‘our’ SP. That's why they see Christian conspiracy in awarding Nobel prize to Amartya Sen, who emphasizes on spread of education. At another level they also feel threatened by the likes of Mother Teresa, who worked for the welfare of the ‘wretched of the earth’, and even her Noble prize is seen as the Christian conspiracy.

  Social tensions are there due to the backlash of SP and its supporters who fear disturbance of status quo due to conversions and that's why this intense campaign against the Christian Community.

Bibliography :
- AIFOFDR, ‘Then they came for the Christians’, Mumbai, 1999.
- Communalism Combat, Issues Oct 98, Jan & March 99.
- M. M. Thomas, Secularism, Communalism and Inter-religious Con-version Towards Secular India, Issue 1, Vol. 1.
  New Democracy, ‘Gujarat’ : Minorities the storm of Communal Attacks, New Delhi, 99.

(Ram Puniyani teaches at IIT Mumbai and is a member of EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai )