Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Minorities plan crusade

By S. Annamalai

MADURAI OCT. 10 . In a show of solidarity against the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Ordinance, Christian, Islamic and Dalit leaders, along with human rights activists, today chalked out a plan of action demanding withdrawal of the controversial measure.

Briefing newspersons at the culmination of a day-long meeting here, the Archbishop of Madurai, M. Arokiasamy, appealed to all secular forces to condemn the ``fascist ordinance'', which went against the basic tenets of the Constitution. To express their anguish at being let down by a Government which had won the election on a secular plank, the minorities would organise fast in all district headquarters on October 19. Their institutions would remain closed throughout the State on October 24 ``to express our bitterness and agony''. Minorities and Dalit and human rights activists would observe fast in Chennai on October 24. Rev. Arokiasamy said all parties, except the BJP and the AIADMK, would be approached to join their crusade. They would also write to the MLAs urging them to vote against the ordinance.

Though similar legislation existed in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, ``the Tamil Nadu ordinance is the most stringent of all,'' he said.

The meeting also discussed challenging the ordinance in court as an option.

The bishops shared the concern that it would be misused by the police. Even denial of admission to an educational institution would lead to arrests. They accused the Chief Minister of spiting the minorities in her anxiety to satisfy Hindutva forces. The ordinance ``vulgarised the Dalits'', portraying them as falling prey to material allurement. Forced conversion was not permitted in Christianity, the bishops claimed.

Bishop Ezra Sargunam of the Ecumenical Church said the Christian population in the country had come down to 2.3 per cent in 2001 from 2.6 per cent in 1991. Had forced conversions taken place, Christianity would have emerged as a majority religion. He accused the Government of inducing Dalit converts with reservation and other benefits.

Archbishops and bishops of all denominational churches, Dalit and human rights activists and Jamaat, TMMK and INL leaders attended the meeting.

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