UCA News
Contribute

Hindu nationalist gains in Mumbai polls worry Catholics

Despite having a large minority in the city, Christians still 'have to be careful where they tread'
Hindu nationalist gains in Mumbai polls worry Catholics

Shiv Sena, a radical Hindu party, celebrates gains made in Mumbai city council elections on Feb. 23. The pro-Hindu BJP and Shiv Sena parties won most seats that have left religious minorities concerned. (Photo by IANS)

Published: February 24, 2017 09:49 AM GMT
Updated: February 27, 2017 04:22 AM GMT

Catholics in the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai are concerned after two right-wing Hindu parties won most seats in the city council election. 

Final results were declared Feb. 24 with the Shiv Sena, a radical Hindu party, winning 84* of the 227 seats and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), winning 82 — becoming the two parties with largest majority.

The Mumbai-based Shiv Sena has a history of violently defending a "sons of the soil" policy in all matters, seeking preference for people who follow the local Hindu Maratha culture and language of the state. The BJP that rules the federal government and many Indian states, have been accused of stoking a climate of intolerance against religious minorities in India.

Some Catholic leaders see the electoral gains of these two parties as a worrisome development but church officials including from Bombay Archdiocese, India's largest Catholic diocese in terms of population, have refused to comment. Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where the archdiocese is based, is the biggest city in the country. 

Mumbai has a strong Christian presence since the time of the colonial Portuguese and over the centuries numerous churches and chapels have developed that now occupy several prime properties.

"These two parties are radical so [religious] minorities have to be careful where they tread," said Ramsey Rebello, a Catholic leader in the city.

Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, is India's financial center. Both the state and the federal governments are run by pro-Hindu parties, under whom religious minorities such as Christians and Muslims feel under threat.

"We don't make any comment about the elections," said Father Nigel Barret, spokesperson of Bombay Archdiocese.

"If the people have voted for them [the Hindu parties] and selected them, it's the people's choice. The church has no stand either way," he said.

Bombay Archdiocese has some 500,000 Catholics out of a population of around 14 million people in the city.

Those who have won should work for the interests of all in the city, said Dolphy D'Souza, former president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha (forum).

"For our part, we must monitor and keep watch that this happens and make sure the concerns of religious minorities are addressed," he said.

Nicholas Almeida, a Catholic who ran as an independent candidate and lost, said "money power" had worked against him. He refused to explain further.

A Marian statue was vandalized in a Christian area of the city a day ahead of the poll which some Christian leaders said was a "deliberate attempt to create a fear psychosis" among Catholics so they would not come out and vote en bloc. 

Stanley Fernandez, spokesperson of Save Our Land, a Christian group working to protect Christian heritage in the city, said that people were looking for a change but had no choice because other parties were not even serious contenders to start with.

"Some 1.2 million names were missing from the voting list and that surely has impacted the fortunes of many candidates," he said.

Christians needed change "and voted for the best candidates who would bring that," Fernandez said, adding that only three of 227 candidates were Christians.

He said only a few Christian candidates were in the fray because "political parties still consider Catholic candidates non-winnable, even in Christian-dominated areas."

Christians constitute 3.25 percent of Mumbai's population, which is higher than their national percentage of 2.3 percent. Despite being a minority, Christians, majority of them Catholics, are well acknowledged in the city because of the reputed schools, colleges and medical facilities they run.

The Maharashtra government has been pushing pro-Hindu policies recently and last year it banned the consumption of beef in Maharashtra, making it an offence punishable by a five-year jail term. Cows are sacred to Hindus.

Civic authorities in Mumbai demolished a century-old cross in June to reclaim government land from encroachment but Christian leaders allege it is part of an anti-Christian policy by the state government to remove Christian symbols from the nation's financial capital.

*This number has been corrected. The original number was inadvertently reported as 48.

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
Lent is the season during which catechumens make their final preparations to be welcomed into the Church.
Each year during Lent, UCA News presents the stories of people who will join the Church in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is their Lord. The stories of how women and men who will be baptized came to believe in Christ are inspirations for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the Church's chief feast.
Help us with your donations to bring such stories of faith that make a difference in the Church and society.
A small contribution of US$5 will support us continue our mission…
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
Asian Bishops
Latest News
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia