Q: What have you to say about Abp Bernard Moras of Bangalore exhorting the faithful to elect worthy candidates and political parties that have a clear secular dimension and safeguard the fundamental rights of one and all? Do you think the Hindutva ideology is poisoning our culture? Is there a real danger to the future of India as a secular and multi-cultural nation?

A: This issue is not only the issue of Karnataka, but of the whole country. The CBCI clearly stated that monoculture cannot be the culture of India. Very often we do not realize that we are privileged to have a voice in the choice of our leaders and the party that comes to power and the kind of laws that should govern our land. It is also our Christian and religious duty to have and to instil patriotic spirit and civic responsibility in us and in others. The Archbishop clearly asks to choose a party that safeguards the fundamental rights of the citizens, especially the Christian minority, and works for our overall development. Hindutva is deliberately planned and is destructive. It is by nature not merely cultural, it is economical. Diversity and plurality are our identity. It is a matter of human dignity. We are supposed to defend human dignity and democracy. Sadly, we are failing in using the power of our people through our education and health care institutions. We are providing literacy, not education. Together we make India, we do not exclusively make it. The identity of the country should re-main noble and human. India is a great country and its diversity stands in contrast to all these mono- cultural, hedonistic and materialistic tendencies. I am a strong believer in the nationhood of India and the vibrancy of this country, which will withstand all obstacles.

Bp Henry D’Souza
Bellary