Commentary 24/01/25 Christians need to rethink mission in ‘new India'

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Christians need to rethink mission in ‘new India'

Hardline Hindu groups have been demanding a moratorium on religious conversion activities in the country

Hindu devotees gather near the illuminated Ram temple following the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya in India's Uttar Pradesh state on Jan. 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the opening of the temple heralded a 'new era' for India, at a ceremony that embodies the triumph of his muscular Hindu nationalist politics, galvanizing loyalists ahead of elections this year. (Photo: AFP)

By Nirendra Dev, New Delhi

Published: January 25, 2024 05:10 AM GMT

The Ram temple that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this week is a milestone in assessing how his leadership is changing India’s concept of secularism and democracy with far-reaching implications for its religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.

When Modi became prime minister for the first time, leading his pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a landslide victory in the 2014 parliamentary elections, he was just a chief minister of Gujarat state, one of 28 Indian states.

The victory was powered by the groundwork done for decades by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is an umbrella forum of Hindu organizations that work to make India a nation of Hindu hegemony.

Since 2014, Modi’s BJP and the RSS have been working without losing sight of their prime objective — making India a Hindu nation.

Many believed a second term for the BJP in 2019 after winning more seats in parliament would lead to changing certain features of India’s secular constitution in the push for a Hindu nation. But the Modi administration showed no rush to do that.

“As prime minister, he does not need to change the written constitution as his political opponents keep saying. Looking at it carefully, you will realize Modi has effectively reshaped the country with his governance strategies already," according to Assam-based social scientist Ashutosh Talukdar.

"The Jan. 22 Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya will certainly have far-reaching consequences"

Ramakanto Shanyal, a political observer from the neighboring state of West Bengal, where the communists were in power for over three decades, feels the goal of a Hindu Rashtra (nation) has been achieved, even if partly.

“Muslims and Christians will be nervous these days realizing that years of dependence on secular parties like the Congress and communists did not help them," he said.

Christians may not be feeling as insecure as Muslims, but the Modi government has created an atmosphere where religious conversions are targeted — 11 Indian states, most of them ruled by the BJP, have legislation criminalizing the changing of religion in various circumstances.

The Jan. 22 Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya will certainly have far-reaching consequences. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat declared that day, “Ram Rajya [Ram’s rule] is coming and we have to shun all disputes and stay united.”

It’s a loaded message. Per se, no one can find fault with the RSS chief's remark, but it could be directed at non-Hindus, including Christians, according to Shanyal.

While Modi keeps harping about his government’s commitment to “inclusive” development, the situation on the ground hints at something else.

There is a push toward Hindu majoritarianism, saying secularism is only a camouflage or cover to mistreat and suppress Hindus. And even opposition parties, who swear by secularism and compete with each other to prove that they are more secular than the others, are succumbing.

After the Jan 22 temple event, many including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made visits to temples. A political row erupted when Gandhi tried to enter a Hindu temple in Assam but was denied permission by state authorities citing law and order problems.

"For Christians, the challenge will be to reconsider and rework their mission, especially when it comes to evangelization"

The exasperated Congress leader asked whether Modi will now “decide who will visit a temple and when,” unwittingly hinting at the Hindu tilt adopted by him.

Congress’ Shashi Tharoor, a parliamentarian from the southern state of Kerala, posted a photograph of the Ram idol soon after Modi performed the rituals of installing it inside the Ayodhya temple.

Kuzholuzo Azo Nienu, a Christian politician belonging to the Naga People's Front (NPF) in northeast India is concerned about how Christians and Muslims should now conduct themselves on the electoral platform.

His Muslim friends are now more scared and their apprehensions are not without good reasons, Nienu said.

Human Rights Watch warned in 2023 against the Modi government’s policy of “systematic discrimination and stigmatization of religious and other minorities, particularly Muslims.”

For Christians, the challenge will be to reconsider and rework their mission, especially when it comes to evangelization. Hardline Hindu groups, led by the RSS, have been demanding a moratorium on conversion activities in the country.

Christians are already facing demands to place statues of Saraswati (the Hindu goddess of learning) inside their educational institutions and introduce prayers and hymns invoking her blessings.

There is pressure on tribal Christians in states like Chhattisgarh in central India and Jharkhand in the east to join the Hindu fold under the Ghar Wapsi (return home) drive launched by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council).

What’s in store for the minorities, including Christians, in an Indian polity dominated by majoritarianism can be gauged from what Alphons Kannanthanam, a BJP leader and a Catholic Christian, had to say after the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya.

“The entire country and all the communities are united in endorsing the Ram temple. I think this is the beginning of a long journey of uniting the country. No more battles, no more wars. I think Ram is going to be a unifying force,” he said.

Like Bhagwat’s, it’s a loaded statement.

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.