By Bimal Lamisane
Ranchi, October 1, 2019: No government of the country can identify itself in favor of any religion, said Prabhakar Tirkey, president of the Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh (National Christian Federation) in Ranchi.
“India is a secular state, and the country has no religion,” he said.
He was speaking at the end of the two-day national executive meeting with leaders’ conference.
The September 29-30 meeting took place in Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand.
Explaining Article 15 and 25 in the Constitution, Tirkey said that no government can deprive any citizen within the country of one’s fundamental right based on religion, caste and race.
All religions are equal and the right to religious freedom and the right to propagate it freely for one’s religion have been provided under the Constitution, he stressed.
Despite the Constitutional guarantee, religious minorities in India such as Muslims and Christians are being tortured only for political selfishness.
The National Christian Federation believes that the promotion of religion is a constitutional right. It is illegal to stop the Christian community from preaching and registering cases against them in the name of conversion, Tirkey said.
“The Constitution of India is the code of conduct of every citizen of this country. Following this code of conduct is the ultimate duty of every citizen of the country irrespective of any distinction,” he added.
In the Constitution of India, provisions have been made for the protection of every person living inside the country and their tradition and religious beliefs. All citizens are equal in terms of the constitution, Tirkey reiterated.
The focus of the conference was to create awareness on the rights of Scheduled Tribes provided by the Constitution and the Government of India.
The federation reiterated its resolve to protect the Constitution by conducting awareness campaigns across the country.
More than 1,200 representatives from 18 states of India expressed their views and said that today a constitutional crisis has arisen in the country.
The federation also expressed its concern over how Christian religious leaders are being implicated in false cases and mentally tortured in various ways.
The federation is uniting people to create awareness in society on various issues that affect the country.
“Today the country faces many challenges. We need to face them with grit and courage,” Ard Lal, a speaker.
Decisions taken by the federation’s national executive include encouraging members to join and work with any political party, but not with those acting against the interests of Christian society.
The federation will provide free legal assistance for the protection of the interests of any state and the entire Christian society after assessing the circumstances.
Christian youth who are not financially sound may avail scholarship from federation for their various civil service exam preparations, said Father Anand Muttungal, a member.
Membership drive nationwide for the federation is need of the hour, said Christy Abraham.