It was shocking to read in one of our favourite and well-regarded newspapers that, in the first 212 days of this year, there have been 525 attacks on the Christian Churches in our Country. The United Christian Forum keeps a record of all the attacks and persecutions the Christian Community suffers in India. It is, indeed, frightening to think that our Country, one that has the credentials of being a secular country, one that has freedom of religious practice and freedom to propagate its faith, guaranteed by the Constitution, has reached this stage under the present Administration. Indeed, our Country and its leaders, who proudly like to proclaim themselves to be the citizens of the biggest Democracy in the world, seem to have been caught napping while the democratic and secular values are falling by the wayside. You say a word to criticize the regime, and you could be labelled an anti-national and even find yourself cooling your heels in jail. Where are freedom of expression and religion, which are so essential in a democracy?

On the other hand, if you toe the line drawn out for you, you can travel long and do whatever you wish. A very long rope, indeed!! Where is the room for creativity and newness? Ask some of our legislators; they will tell you how their sins were forgiven just because they joined the ruling party! That is our Democracy!!

Sometime back, many newspaper headlines were screaming about the raids on nearly 50 journalists and senior editors. Their laptops were seized, although no further details came out to the media as to what the investigation revealed. The allegation, however, was that these journalists, together with some Congress leaders and the Portal News-Click, had received funds from China to create an anti-India atmosphere in the Country. The Press Club of India expressed deep concern over these developments and solidarity with the journalists. The Press Club of India also demanded that the government provide more details. The government always smells a rat when something concerning the media comes out. Here is how very often there is a lockdown on the press, particularly on social media. This is what happened in Manipur, to give an example. The people who need to know and have the right to know the truth are kept in the dark, thus leaving the way for false stories and rumours to float around.

Alarming is the news about the signing of the two-year contract between India’s Prasar Bharati, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which runs both Doordarshan and All India Radio, and Hindustan Samachar which is known to be backed by Rashtriya Swamyasevak Sangh (RSS). Against the backdrop of everything happening in our Country, we can only hope and pray it will not be a blow to fair news.

The hypocrisy of many of our leaders has reached great heights or, should I say, depths! I wish they knew how Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who showed themselves shocked because Jesus reclined at the table to dine without washing his hands. Without mincing words, Jesus was harsh in condemning their hypocrisy. He said: “You Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” Lk. 11:39 And he went on: “Woe to you, for you built the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.” Lk 11:47-48.

I wonder what Jesus would say to our leaders, who are quick at condoling the deaths of people who lose their lives in tragedies like the one that has struck Gaza recently. As it always happens after such human-made tragedies, the blame game follows. And then a flurry of messages of sympathy. Our leaders, too, have been quick at commiserating the deaths of innocent people and condemning the perpetrators of these crimes. But I wonder where these leaders were when similar happenings occurred nearer to us, in our Country. The state of Manipur comes immediately to mind. It is a manufactured tragedy that has taken the lives of so many people. From what we read, we gather that even now, violence and crime are daily news. I have yet to hear or read about our leaders responsible for tackling these problems, doing anything sensible to resolve them and restore peace in the region. Is anything being done? It is shameful to say that no reasonable steps have been yet taken. Have the responsible people even gone to ground zero to meet the suffering and console them? Mind you, it is not enough to just go there and shed crocodile tears. In his letter, James describes Such a situation well in the Bible. He says: “If a brother or sister is ill-clad and lacking daily food, and one of you says to them ‘go in peace be warmed and filled’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?” To such as these, Jesus would undoubtedly have said, “Clean the inside of the cup”, rather than shed crocodile tears and ignore the evil within you”.