Chhotebhai’s Christian response to elections – FACTS FIGURES & MYTHS

FACTS FIGURES & MYTHS

By chhotebhai

 

                   (Note: CCV has received this analytical study from Chhotebhai, who  is a former National President of the All India Catholic Union, a prolific writer and very well respected spokes person for things Catholic. Here the writer is giving his Christian response to the recent elections from  the point of minorities. He demythologizes the popular perception of two ladies —  Mamata and Amma – shining,  others fading and Congress crumbling. See CCV analysis of May 23, Election results: what people say. The stark fact is that a bunch of 824 seats went  for grabs, of which Mamata grabed 211, Jayalalithaa  138  Congress  135, LDF 127, DMK 89  and BJP  just 64.That separates facts from myths. He also gives a comparative picture of population growth rate (PGR) for last 40 years from 1961 to 2001 – population in general  grew 134%, Christian PGR at 124%, that is 10 percentage points less than the national average to show that it is the government-RSS  machinery through Khar-Vapsi rather than Christian missionaries who are indulging in conversions. Through data in many states like Bihar  and AP  where Christians among Dalits are leaving, he proves that Ghar Wapsi (home coming) is producing Ghar Khali (empty churches). In short in a masterly presentation of data Chhottebhai shows conversion is an act of love that attracts the converted and a compelling urge on the part of the missionary to share the Amrit he himself has tasted. JAMES KOTTOOR, Editor).

(Based on a presentation at Mumbai organised recently by the Bombay Catholic Sabha on the “Present Political Scenario and our Christian Response to the same”) 

 

Dr Ram Puniyani, staunch secularist and activist that he is, has painted a lucid picture of the present political scenario, with specific reference to the Minorities in India. I have been asked to speak on our Christian Response to the same. Before I go to my presentation I place before you a few facts, figures and myths.

After the elections to five State Assemblies the media hype would have us believe that the real winner is the BJP; and the death knell has been sounded for the Grand Old Party – the Congress. This is a myth, for the facts and figures are to the contrary. From the data published in The Week (29/5/16) we find that of the 824 seats that were up for grabs, the maximum number of 211 was won by Mamta’s TMC. Jayalalithaa’s AIDMK came a distant second with 138 seats and the Congress was a close third with about 135 seats. This was followed by 127 to the LDF, 89 to the DMK and a mere 64 to the BJP! So the facts differ from the myth.

From the foregoing we see that of the two major protagonists, the Congress and the BJP, the former won 16% of the seats, and the latter just 8%, or less than half of what the Congress won. Sure the BJP vastly improved its tally and wrested Assam from the Congress, but it can hardly be termed the emphatic victory that the BJP, aided by a pliant media, seeks to project. The real pity is that that the Congress itself is unable to counter the propaganda, the media myth. The Grand Old Party could verily be renamed the Greatly Obfuscated Patrimony.

Now let us move to another myth – conversions, so blatantly hyped, especially in the first year of Modi rule. It probably waned after a rap on the knuckles by buddy Barak Obama. The Hindutva brigade cried itself hoarse about mass conversions, and orchestrated some Ghar Wapsi (home coming) spectacles. Then came a selective release of data from the Census 2011, which clearly showed that the Christian population of India has remained static at 2.3% since 1971.

Why have the previous UPA and the present NDA Govts not released the entire religion wise data of the Census 2011? What are they hiding or afraid of? Let the truth be out, and be addressed accordingly. A recent selective release showed that 31% of Hindus had child marriages, which was even more than the Muslims at 30%. So let us go by facts, not myth. In the absence of data from Census 2011 we have to fall back on the Census 2001 (see tables).
 

We find that the Population Growth Rate (PGR) for the 40 years from 1961 to 2001 is 134%. The Christian PGR at 124% is 10 percentage points less than the national average. Andhra Pradesh (even before the bifurcation of Telengana) has actually seen a negative PGR of –17% over 40 years. Andhra has a high percentage of Dalit Christians. Does this mean that vast numbers of them have apostatized, because they can’t get Govt benefits as SCs? Is this not concrete proof that rather than Christian “missionaries”, it is the Govt “machinery” that is indulging in conversions through fraud and inducement? Christians in Bihar came down drastically, but that is because of the formation of Jharkhand.
 

TABLE A – Population Growth Rate from 1961 to 2001

(40 years)

 

Category	1961	2001	% age Growth	1961 % age of Pop	2001 % age of Pop	% age point change
All Religions	439,234,771	1,028,610,328	134
Muslims	46,940,799	138,188,240	194
Christians	10,728,086	24,080,016	124
Christians in Delhi	29,269	130,319	345
Christians in Bihar	502,195	53,137	-89
Population of Goa	626,667	1,347,668	115
Christians in Goa	227,202	359,568	58	36	27	– 9
Christians in Andhra	1,428,729	1,181,917	-17
Population of Kerala	16,903,715	31,841,374	88
Christians in Kerala	3,587,365	6,057,427	69	21	19	– 2

 

What warrants serious attention is the status of Christians in Kerala and Goa, the two States with the oldest Christian communities. The PGR of Christians in Kerala at 69% is just about half of the national average, and in Goa, at 58%, it is just 43% of the national average. As a result, the percentage of the Christian population in Kerala has dropped from 21 to 19, and in Goa from 36 to 27. It is anybody’s guess that the Census 2011 (if and when revealed) will show a continually decreasing trend. From the Christian perspective it is an alarming picture of Ghar Khali (empty churches) rather than Ghar Wapsi. Are we becoming an endangered species like the Parsees and the vultures? Let us move to the next two tables.

TABLE B -Proportion in Age Group (0-6 years)

 

Category	Percentage
All India	15.9
Muslims	18.7
Christians	13.5
Christians in Goa	9.6
Christians in Kerala	11.2

The population in the age group 0 – 6 years is indicative of population growth. Again, against the national average of 15.9%, among Christians it is 13.5%, and in Kerala/ Goa even less at 11.2%/ 9.6%. This establishes that we Christians are following Responsible Parenthood, and not breeding like rats. A plausible reason for this is the much higher literacy rates among Christians, particularly women, as evidenced in the next table.

TABLE C – Literacy Rates (in percent)

 

Category	All	Female
All India	64.8	53.7
Christians	80.3	76.2
Christians in Goa	83.8	78.8
Christians in Kerala	94.8	93.5

On the negative side is the Category of Workers (occupation or source of livelihood). 58% of Indians are occupied with the land. In contrast 44% Christians are so occupied and in Kerala/ Goa it is a mere 24%/ 11%. Are we drifting away from being sons of the soil? The occupation “Others” I presume, refers to the service class. Here again as against the national average of 38%, Christians are a high at 53%, which goes up to 74%/ 86% in Kerala/ Goa. Does this indicate that the Christians of India lack skills, land and entrepreneurship? Are we a salaried service class, content with working for others? I see this as a major weakness in the Christian community, even in well-established societies like Kerala/ Goa. Are we just happy looking for jobs in MNCs/ BPOs/ KPOs etc?  While looking for a match for my daughter on shaadi.com it was pretty obvious that all “qualified” Catholic bachelors belonged to the salaried class. I see this as a fault line in the Christian community. The sections of society that have a major impact on public life are the ones involved in agriculture or entrepreneurship. I see this as a major drawback in the demographic profile of the Christians of India.  

TABLE D – Categories of Workers (in percent)

 

Category	All India	Christians	Christians in Goa	Christians in Kerala
Cultivators	31.7	29.2	4.8	12.8
Agricultural Labourers	26.5	15.3	6.6	11.2
Household Industry	4.2	2.7	3.1	2.5
Others	37.6	52.8	85.4	73.5

 

While at the point of demography and conversions, the so-called “Freedom of Religion Acts” in various States are actually anti-conversion laws aimed at the Christians. Though the earliest was enacted over 60 years ago in MP, there has not been a single conviction under these Acts.

 

In Christianity conversion should never be an act of inducement or fraud (terminology used in the aforesaid Acts). Rather it is an act of love, which attracts. Let me tell you a little parable. A tourist went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. He was impressed and shared the photos on WhatsApp with his family. He then ate some Petha (ash gourd preserve), for which Agra is equally famous. It was delicious. His thoughts flew to his son back home. He bought some to share with him. He couldn’t keep something so wonderful all to himself. This experience is encapsulated in this Hindi phrase that I have coined, “Baap khaya Petha, yaad aaya beta”. So evangelization is an act of love, to share with others the Amrit that I myself have tasted.

 

I will touch on just one more point regarding our Response – the Respondents. I will here restrict myself to our representatives/ spokespersons on TV debates. Be it the CBCI, or the couple of laypersons that sometimes appear, they seem to be very dogmatic in their utterances. It is almost as though they are looking over their shoulders to receive a “shabaash” from their ecclesiastical masters. Many of them seem ignorant of the Church’s teaching on delicate issues. They are also not camera friendly, so critical in a media driven age. This despite the CBCI running a communications institute like NISCORT in the Capital. It does not seem to have produced a single national level Communicator.

In contrast, look at the media savvy BJP. At the risk of sounding sexist I must state a reality. They invariably have Shazia Ilmi (wearing all her war paint) or Saina NC as their spokespersons on TV shows. Nirmal Sitharaman was also a regular before she became a Minister. Even the relatively rustic TMC used suave Derek O’Brien’s command over the English language to forcefully project their views. Mumbai and Delhi are the media hubs. We urgently need to identify TV friendly spokespersons that are properly briefed, to project the views of the community and its stand on sensitive issues of faith and morals.

They need to be equipped with facts and figures, in order to counter the various myths, disinformation or malicious propaganda that the present political dispensation (fakes and phekus) seem to excel in. Satyamev Jayate (Truth shall prevail) doesn’t happen automatically. We have to make it happen.

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