Headlines
Modi assures full freedom of faith; meets Christian leaders
New Delhi, Feb 17
Coming out unequivocally for
the first time against recent attacks on churches and controversial
utterances by right-wing fringe elements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Tuesday said his government will ensure complete freedom of faith and
will not allow any religious group to incite hatred against others
"overtly or covertly".
He later also met a high-level Christian delegation.
Addressing
Christian leaders at a function here, the prime minister reached out to
them, saying he strongly condemned violence against any religion.
"My
government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that
everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of
his or her choice without coercion or undue influence. My government
will not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the
minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly," he
said.
"Mine will be a government that gives equal respect to all religions," Modi said, breaking his long silence on the subject.
"We
cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I
strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this
regard," he added.
Modi met the supreme head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, an official release said here.
Moran
Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, who is currently on a visit to India, called on
the prime minister. He was accompanied by a nine-member delegation,
comprising senior members of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.
Modi
has been facing flak for not speaking out strongly against saffron
fringe elements of his Bharatiya Janata Party-led government who have
kicked up a controversy by peddling the Hindutva agenda and by their
comments on "ghar wapsi", or return to the Hindu faith.
Addressing
a function to mark the 'National Celebration of the Elevation to
Sainthood of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia', he said his
government stands by "every word" of the Universal Declaration and of
freedom of religion or belief.
"India is the land of Buddha and
Gandhi. Equal respect for all religions must be in the DNA of every
Indian. We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext
and I strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in
this regard," Modi said.
He also appealed to all religious
groups "to act with restraint, mutual respect, and tolerance in the true
spirit of this ancient nation which is manifest in our Constitution and
is in line with the Hague Declaration".
Christian leaders immediately welcomed Modi's remarks and hoped they would translate into action.
Father
Savarimuthu Sankar, of the Catholic Church, told IANS: "The general
feeling is that everyone is happy that finally he has spoken. Although
it's late because we wanted him to speak before Christmas last year. We
hope his words are translated into action."
In the most recent
attack, the Holy Child Auxilium school in south Delhi was ransacked by
unidentified people Feb 13. It was the sixth incident of attack on
churches and a school in Delhi over a period of two months.
Modi
had summoned Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi asking him to speed up
investigation in the incidents of vandalism and bring the guilty to
book.
Following the attacks, Christian leaders claimed that their
community was being subjected to intentional attacks and attempts were
being made to instil fear among them.
The BJP also faced its
first electoral debacle after its winning spree in the general elections
last year when it fared miserably in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly
elections, despite Modi being one of the main campaigners.
Modi
said that to realize his vision of a modern India and to ensure
development, unity is an essential ingredient. "Unity strengthens us.
Division weakens us. I sincerely request all Indians, and all of you
present here to support me in this huge task," he said.
Lauding
the two saints for dedicating their lives to the service of God and
fellow beings, he described the lives and deeds of Saint Chavara and
Saint Euphresia as "inspiration" to humanity.
New Delhi, Feb 17
Coming out unequivocally for
the first time against recent attacks on churches and controversial
utterances by right-wing fringe elements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Tuesday said his government will ensure complete freedom of faith and
will not allow any religious group to incite hatred against others
"overtly or covertly".
Addressing Christian leaders at a function
here, the prime minister reached out to them, saying he strongly
condemned violence against any religion.
"My government will
ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the
undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice
without coercion or undue influence. My government will not allow any
religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite
hatred against others, overtly or covertly," the prime minister said.
"Mine
will be a government that gives equal respect to all religions," the
prime minister said, breaking his long silence on the subject.
"We
cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I
strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this
regard," he added.
Modi has been facing flak for not speaking
out strongly against saffron fringe elements of his Bharatiya Janata
Party-led government who have kicked up a controversy by peddling the
Hindutva agenda and by their comments on "ghar wapsi", or return to the
Hindu faith.
Addressing a function to mark the 'National
Celebration of the Elevation to Sainthood of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and
Mother Euphrasia', Modi said his government stands by "every word" of
the Universal Declaration and of freedom of religion or belief.
"India
is the land of Buddha and Gandhi. Equal respect for all religions must
be in the DNA of every Indian. We cannot accept violence against any
religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence. My
government will act strongly in this regard," Modi said.
He
also appealed to all religious groups "to act with restraint, mutual
respect, and tolerance in the true spirit of this ancient nation which
is manifest in our Constitution and is in line with the Hague
Declaration".
Christian leaders immediately welcomed Modi's remarks and hoped they would translate into action.
Fr.
Savarimuthu Sankar, Catholic Archdiocese Church, told IANS: "The
general feeling is that everyone is happy that finally he has spoken.
Although it's late because we wanted him to speak before Christmas last
year. We hope his words are translated into action."
In the most
recent attack, the Holy Child Auxilium school in south Delhi was
ransacked by unidentified people Feb 13. It was the sixth incident of
attack on churches and a school in Delhi over a period of two months.
Modi
had summoned Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi asking him to speed up
investigation in the incidents of vandalism and bring the guilty to
book.
Following the attacks, Christian leaders claimed that their
community was being subjected to intentional attacks and attempts were
being made to instil fear among them.
The BJP also faced its
first electoral debacle after its winning spree in the general elections
last year when it fared miserably in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly
elections, despite Modi being one of the main campaigners.
Modi
said that to realize his vision of a modern India and to ensure
development, unity is an essential ingredient. "Unity strengthens us.
Division weakens us. I sincerely request all Indians, and all of you
present here to support me in this huge task," he said.
Lauding
the two saints for dedicating their lives to the service of God and
fellow beings, Modi described the lives and deeds of Saint Chavara and
Saint Euphresia as "inspiration" to humanity.