BJP allies begin to squirm, starting with George

BJP allies begin to squirm, starting with George
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, JULY 8: While key leaders of the Sangh Parivar continued with their criticism of the Church, an important ally of the BJP, Samata Party leader and Defence Minister George Fernandes has defended Christian missionaries and indirectly attacked the RSS and the VHP for their anti-minority campaign.

On a day when another church was attacked in Hubli in north Karnataka, BJP general secretary K N Govindacharya alleged in Ranchi that the church had colluded with terrorist groups in Tripura which were indulging in ``ethnic-cleansing.''

And almost in tandem, VHP secretary general Praveen Togadia accused the ``church-backed militants'' of stopping pujas in various parts of Tripura. He also described as ``shocking'' Attorney General Soli Sorabjee's statement that ``Hindu fundamentalists should be sent to a lunatic asylum.''

Sorabjee had said recently, in a reference to a statement made by a Bajrang Dal leader, that those who say that Christians are worse enemies that Muslims should either be arrested or sent to a lunatic asylum.

Writing to Sorabjee, Togadia claimed it was shocking to read such a sweeping statement on the basis of a ``wrongly quoted'' junior Bajrang Dal worker.

He claimed that Sorabjee had fallen prey to a systematic campaign against the RSS and its affiliate bodies by politically motiviated sections in the country.

Meanwhile, in Ranchi, Govindacharya said that a dozen-odd terrorist organisations such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura had established dominance with their underground and overground operations, run down the Indian Constitution and indulged in ethnic cleansing. ``The intensity of the problem is such that government schools are being closed at gun-point, while the Christian missionary schools and churches are totally untouched,'' he added.

But Fernandes, who for long has stayed silent on this issue and has found common cause with the RSS on swadeshi and nationalism, has, without naming the Sangh, expressed his displeasure at the recent attacks.

He's quoted by Outlook magazine as having said: ``Patriotism cannot be linked to religion. When somebody earns undeserving profit, he can't be a patriot by merely declaring he is one, or by chanting Bharat Mata ki jai and vande mataram or by saluting the national flag and singing the national anthem. I think all that is a fraud on the country.''

Fernandes praised the role of Christian missionaries. ``The ultimate test of your patriotism is what you do or what you don't. The Christian missionaries in India...have done work to raise the level of consciousness of the people through education, giving a sense of dignity to the people through these institutions which look after health needs and so on,'' he said.

He also rejected the idea of equating Hinduism with patriotism. ``I don't believe in that. And I don't believe that such a situation prevails in India,'' he said.

The issue of the attacks on missionaries was raked by another ally of the ruling coalition, the Janata Dal (United). In a resolution passed in a meeting yesterday, it expressed concern over these incidents and asked the government to take necessary steps and book the culprits.