elections 2004

[Guest guest]

pls read this,this is the price we pay in the name of secularism and

democracy

 

 

Recent Elections

Dear ECI Partners and Friends in Christ,

 

In my earlier communications to most of you, I made a special plea

for you to pray for God's intervention as India was going to the

polls. There was every possibility of the Bharatiya Janata Party

(Hindu fundamentalists) returning to power.

 

Opinion polls conducted before the elections predicted that the BJP-

alliance would secure absolute majority. But the Christians went on

their knees. There were nationwide prayers in churches, families and

in small groups as well as mass prayers (Cf. pictures of one such

mass prayer held in Chennai, which was attended by over 50 thousand

people). We also had a 72-hour prayer vigil throughout South India.

Several thousands prayed for God to intervene so that we would have

a free and fair election and that the secular front led by the

Congress Party would obtain a majority. We also sent prayer

circulars worldwide asking God's children around the world, like

you, to pray for the Lord to save India from the clutches of Hindu

extremists, who after the elections were planning to bring in

legislations banning conversions all over the country and

proscribing the slaughter of cows for meat (as you are aware, cows

are scared to Indian Hindus but steak is "sacred" to the

Westerners!). Other laws were also planned to curbing the flow of

foreign funds for religious, educational and social purposes, making

Sunday a working day, etc, etc. However, when the results were

coming in, to the utter shock of both the ruling party and the

opposition, the Congress and its allies got the majority needed to

form the government. Praise God! We Christians feel this is in

answer to our prayers.

 

But on the other hand, more prayers should yet reach the Throne of

Grace. BJP may be down, but definitely not out, as yet. Besides,

government formation for the centrist Congress in alliance with the

Left parties is going to be real tough. The political acumen of Mrs.

Sonia Gandhi would be put to test in the days to come. Every

political party in the coalition would try to exact a share in the

power-cake, besides trying to implement its own agenda. Though this

problem is not very serious and irresolvable, serious policy clashes

are likely to crop up between the Congress and the socialists in the

economic front with a peculiar situation obtaining in India, where

40 per cent of the people are below the poverty line and capitalism,

globalization and privatization have no solutions. In the economic

front, the previous government went in for mindless privatization

the gap between the rich and the poor have widened. Ironically, the

policy of job reservations for the socially marginalized people was

thrown to the winds. Many leaders of the Congress too support rapid

privatization and free enterprise. These ideological contradictions

between the Congress and the Leftists could bring about chinks in

the coalition and the BJP is likely to exploit this to its advantage.

 

Hence, I now wish to request the ECI partners and friends to pray

that the process of government formation may conclude smoothly in

the next few days and the coalition partners may use their wisdom

and refrain from making any unrealistic demands but work in harmony

to give the people of India a stable and secular government. Of

course, for us Christians in frontline evangelism, we would like to

see that the Gospel goes forth with religious liberty and people are

added to the Household of Faith in full freedom.

 

Again, I deeply appreciate your prayers, goodwill and concern for

the ongoing evangelization of India – the largest democratic country

in the world. God bless you richly.

 

Cordially in Christ,

M EZRA SARGUNAM

Bishop