As a debate rages over growing intolerance in the country, former US President Barack Obama on December 1 disclosed that he had privately told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India must not split on sectarian lines and that it must cherish the fact that Muslims here identify themselves as Indians.

“Particularly in a country like India where you have such an enormous Muslim population that is successful, integrated and thinks of itself as Indian and that is unfortunately always not the case in some other countries where a religious minority never-theless feels a part of. I think that is something that should be cheri-shed, nurtured and cultivated.

“And I think that all farsi-ghted Indian leadership recog-nises that but it is important to continue and reinforce that,” he said speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

Obama, who was making his first visit to India after demitting office earlier this year, was remi-nded of his speech at Siri Fort auditorium on January 27, 2015 — the last day of his last visit to India as US President — in which he sounded caution “against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines” and pointedly asked if the message was directed at the Modi led BJP government.

He said the message was meant for “all of us” and “the same thing” was told “in private to Prime Minister Modi.”

“If you see a politician doing things that are questionable one of things as citizens you can ask yourself is am I encouraging or supporting or giving licence to the values? If communities across India are saying we are not going to fall prey to division then that will strengthen the hands of those politicians who feel the same way.”

More than a billion dollars is being spent on giant statues of a nationa-list leader, a former king and a Hindu deity in three Indian states where pov-erty is widespread.

All of the states involved are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which uses jingo-ism and triumphalism to swing votes their way.

Pravin Mishra, a civil rights activist, said the phenomenon neglected practical needs of ordinary people such as improving health and education services. In Gujarat, a 213-meter statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a prominent leader of India’s freedom struggle and a native of the state, is under construction at an estimated cost of US$470 million.

In neighboring Maha-rashtra, a 61-meter statue of Shivaji, a 17th century Maratha king, is being built for US$300 million.

In India’s most popu-lous State, Uttar Pradesh, US$300 million has been allocated for a 91-meter statue of Hindu lord Ram.

Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 200 million, had the highest proportion of homeless people in India (18.56%) followed by Maharashtra (11.9%) and Rajasthan (10.24%).

Mishra notes that the International Food Policy Research Institute recently ranked India at 100th out of 119 countries on its global hunger index, behind North Korea, Bangladesh and Iraq.

Legislators and churches in Nagaland have agreed to lead and take the responsibility of a fair and honest electoral practice.

The affirmation was made as part of a colloquium on Clean Election organised in Kohima on Nov 29 by the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) for the churches and legislators of Nagaland.

“The legislators, churches and citizens affirm that all of us have an investment in the future of the state of Nagaland and that our shared future must flourish without any obstacles,” read a joint statement signed by Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang for the legislators and NBCC secretary general Rev Zelhou Keyho and Nagaland Joint Christian Forum vice president Rev Dr N Paphino for the churches.

“The commitment was done in the spirit of true Christian repentance as we realise that serious malpractices surrounding the conduct of state elections is the major cause of most of the problems that we are facing today,” the statement read.

The signatories on behalf of the legislators and the churches in the state also affirmed to lead and take the responsibility of putting in place fair and honest electoral practices.

Gujarat Election Commission on Nov. 25 served a notice to Archbishop Thomas Macwan of Gandhinagar asking him to explain his letter asking Catholics to pray to elect leaders who will “remain faithful to the Indian Constitution” so that the country can be “saved of nationalist forces.”

The notice, served through the District Election Officer of Gandhinagar, asked the Archbishop Macwan to explain why his appeal should not be viewed as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Officials said the action was taken on a complaint received by the Election Commission of India (EC) from an organization, Legal Rights Observatory.

It sought “immediate action” against the Archbishop, as his public letter dated November 21 was an attempt to “generate fear” among voters to “divide people on the basis of caste and creed.”

Gandhinagar District Election Officer Satish Patel said that on EC’s order for inquiry, a notice was served on Archbishop Macwan on 25th November. Archbishop Macwan said, “The letter has only been sent to the Christian community to pray. We can always pray for good humans to be elected as leaders. It has not been issued with any malicious intention to harm anyone.”

Leaders of right-wing Hindu groups are reigniting the con-troversial issue of Christian missionaries converting Hindus, ahead of Pope Francis’ historic Asian visit that will see him travel to Myanmar instead of India.

They have feigned ignorance about the pontiff being blocked from a planned India visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The “Vishwa Hindu Parishad” (VHP, Council of Hindus) and other right-wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal, a hard-line Hindu group opposed to Christian missionary work, have been demand-ing a moratorium on the church’s conversion activities. They also opposed Pope John Paul II’s visit to New Delhi in November 1999.

Pope Francis “will have to clarify how con-version of people from other religions is justified,” said Bajrang Dal activist Angad Prasad from Assam State in north-eastern India.

VHP sources told ucanews. com they would have a few questions for the Pope, in an obvious reference to the conversion issue that Hindu groups have been steadfastly opposing.

Church leadership “lost hope” for a 2017 papal visit to India when Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, who will now be celebrating Mass with Pope Francis in Yangon on Nov 29, indirectly told media that until June this year New Delhi had issued no invitation to the Pope — a necessary condition for a head of state visit under international diplomatic protocol.

“We are already in June. Even if they suddenly say, ‘come’ … (it) will take several months for the dioceses to prepare the people,” the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences was quoted in the media as saying.

A majority of Hindus are tolerant toward other religions but politicians deliberately create problems as a distraction from other grievances, says the secretary-general of the Indian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas was reacting to a leader of India’s ruling pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who rejected the concept of government secularism.

Yogi Adityanath, the 45-year old chief minister of India’s most populous State of Uttar Pradesh, said governance in India could at best be sect-neutral. “No system can be secular,” he told a function on Nov. 13.

Bishop Mascarenhas said the issue was raised to distract peoples’ attention from matters of more pressing concern.

Adityanath should work for the development of the common people and not talk about issues that do not matter to them, Bishop Mascarenhas said. The prelate noted that India has a secular constitution regardless of public comments by Adityanath.

Adityanath, clad in symbolic saffron, had compared Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s government to the rule of Hindu lord Ram. The Hindu god sym-bolizes victory of good over evil.
The bishop countered that “the real Ram” represented tolerance, peace, justice and harmony.

The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1993 batch Sibi George will be the new amba-ssador of India to the Holy See, an announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs said here. He will replace Smita Purushottam.

Mr George is also presently Ambassador of India to Switzer-land. He will have his residence in Berne and is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

A native of Kottayam in Kerala, George has also served as deputy chief of mission of Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia and Iran. He has also worked in Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan and USA. He is also a recipient of S.K. Singh Award for excellence in IFS.

The beatifica-tion of Sr Rani Maria has seen the elevation of her home parish in Kerala as a pilgri-mage centre of the Syro-Malabar Church. The St Thomas Church at Pulluvazhi near Perumbavoor has been declared a pilgrimage centre by Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry on Nov 20.

Sr Rani Maria was beatified in Indore earlier this month. The nun was stabbed to death 23 years ago by a goon hired by landlords peeved at her work among landless labourers in a Madhya Pradesh village. In a rare act of forgiveness, her family accepted the assassin as a member of the family.

Sunday’s ceremony started with a procession carrying the blessed nun’s relics.