Christian leaders have rejected an offer from India’s tourism ministry of a US $10 million grant for the facelift and main-tenance of churches in the Christian-majority State of Meghalaya.
Catholic leaders in the state told that they will not apply for or accept the funding of 613 million rupees for illuminations, landscaping, construction of parking lots and toilets among other infrastructure work at 37 churches.
Federal tourism minister K.J. Alphons announced the grant on Jan. 8, just 10 days ahead of India’s Election Commission declaring Feb. 27 as the date of provincial elections in the northeastern state.
The minister, a member of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has also announced another 86 million rupees for similar projects involving temples, mosques and important sites for 11 other religious groups including indigenous Khasi, Jaintia and Garo believers.
Catholic support is seen as crucial for an election victory in the state, where Christians account for about 80 percent of the three million people. The BJP holds only two seats in the 60-state house.
Alphons, a churchgoing Catholic from southern Kerala state, was made tourism minister on Sept. 3 last year, and four days later he was named the party’s election chief in Meghalaya state.
However, Alphons’ allotment ahead of the election has not enthused Christian leaders.
“First of all, we were never consulted on our needs, nor informed about the project. All these days after the announce-ment, no one from the government had contacted us on this, so there is no question of taking money from the government,” Bishop Victor Lyngdoh of Jowai Diocese told.
Bishop Lyngdoh said the church leadership “cannot take financial help now because it will give the wrong message to our people during this election time. It can create confusion,” he said.
