Editorial

Demand for Delisting Christians from ST List

Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 08-Apr-2023

It is disturbing to note that in recent times, verbal attacks and allegations of wrongdoing have significantly increased against the Christian community of the Northeast of India. Until some time ago, it was all about pointing fingers at them with the accusation of converting people forcibly through inducement. Now, claims are being made that Christian converts are allegedly eroding tribal customs and traditions. Riding on this falsehood, there is a demand to officially delist them from the list of Scheduled Tribes, as declared by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. This newfound tactic of putting pressure on Christians is the brainchild of the Janajati Dharam Sanskriti Suraksha Manch (JDSSM), a key constituent of the RSS, an organisation known to have existed long enough but not often heard of.

In a massive rally organised on March 26, 2023, in Guwahati, the JDSSM alleged that "highly communal theocratic foreign religious groups" target Tribals, who are the "easy prey". Once converted to the Christian faith, the converts give up their original culture, customs, rituals, and beliefs, thereby building the groundwork to substantiate their arguments as to why Christian-convert Tribals should no longer be treated as Scheduled Tribes.

Though such narratives may not find many takers, it needs pointing out that the JDSSM describing tribal people as "easy prey" amounts to unjustly questioning the thinking ability of their own brethren, whose interests they supposedly vowed to safeguard. Similarly, describing Christians as ‘highly communal theocratic foreign religious groups’ reflects the mental poverty of leaders in the organisation because Christianity never came in the way of governance even in states where the majority are Christians. Secondly, Christians have long parted ways with their foreign counterparts, and churches in the region today are in the safe hands of highly qualified sons and daughters of the soil, who are first Indians, and then Christians, whose interests in preserving the tribal cultural and ethos are indisputable. In fact, it is these churches that steadfastly uphold tribal ethos and ensure culture continuity, and see to it that texts of scriptures and hymns are in respective languages so that people understand them easily.

What is a bit surprising though is the sudden shift in paradigm in the way pressure is being exerted against Tribal Christians. From waging accusations of conversions in the past, it has now leapt forth to a demand for concrete action against Tribal Christians of the region. Could the impressive show by the Bhartiya Janata Party and its allies in the recently concluded elections be the trigger? Whatever the reason, such an ill-conceived move, which has the potential to divide Tribal communities needs to be nipped in the bud. Governments of the day need to ensure that yet another angle of communal conflict must not be sown in society, unless, of course, the BJP is bent upon creating frictions, and then fishing in troubled waters.

In all fairness, one must acknowledge that since the BJP came to power, the Northeast region has become a better place to live. Not only has infrastructure improved, with more roads and bridges, but killings, bomb blasts, and ambushes no longer dominate newspaper headlines. This is by far the most welcome change, especially for states that have lived in an unpredictable security situation for decades. Therefore, apart from the many advantages the BJP enjoys over the others, Christian voters also voted for development, safety, and security. This is no small investment.

 However, if the RSS, or even the BJP, takes these successes for granted and decides to go all out like the JDSSM is demanding, it could prove to be an ill-calculated move. It must not be forgotten that success in electoral politics is one thing, while pushing for an ideological shift is quite another. As long as the BJP continues to deliver on the development and security fronts, it is likely that the people’s representatives will have good enough reasons to convince their voters, therefore ensuring the longevity of their rule. But, if political success is interpreted as sufficient ground to begin changing tactics by the RSS and other fringe elements, and continue attacking Christians, it could very well be an early evening to their day in the sun. In any case, expecting the north east christian community to shift post so suddenly and chose to don Khakhi shorts and yield lathis may be a bit of a distant dream.

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