(The following is a response to the article titled “Marxist Jesuits are not for tribal welfare. India and Indian Catholics both must realise that” by Jaithirth Rao which appeared in the news portal The Print)

Jaithirth Rao has his saffron axe to grind, it appears! His article is drenched in saffron. His views are meant not just to tarnish the Jesuits but to subvert any humanitarian solidarity shown to the victims of exploitation. It is part of an orchestrated high decibel game the Sangh Parivar is playing to liquidate the Church in India. 

Rao should know that Jesus was born much before Marx. Jesuits are followers of Jesus. If Marx highlights the plight of the downtrodden, that does not mean that no one did it before him. Jesus did it. We follow Jesus. We stand with the victims of exploitation, be they Dalits, be they Adivasis or be they those exploited in a caste-ridden society. That does not make us carry the tag of ‘Marxists.’ Are you trying to resurrect Hitler and Mussolini on Indian soil?  

What is wrong with liberation theology? It spoke of Jesus’ liberative work to cure the sick, to release unjustly incarcerated prisoners, to free the oppressed. What is wrong with it?  No wonder, RSS objected to Mother Teresa being declared a saint. Because she took out a human being, half eaten by rats and vermin, and brought him back to life. Many such miracles, she did. Would Rao or the likes of him ever touch a leprosy patient and say ‘be cured’? Jesus did it. So did Mother Teresa. So do Christ’s followers all over the world. 

No wonder Rao picked on late Fr. Stan Swamy because he had the courage to stand with the victims of exploitation. How many of Rao’s Satgurus, or women Sadwins, would stand with the Dalits and the Adivasis to uphold their cause for rightful space in human society? You would torture them, skin them, and lynch them because they buy a cow and carry it to their farm. 

To shoot from behind mock screen is an easy escape by picking quotes at random and dish out for public consumption thinking that the public would swallow lies and distortions. Having studied in a Jesuit school does not mean that one knows all facts. Nor does it qualify one to talk about Christianity. Many with selfish motive passed through our portals to get qualified for climbing the ladder of power and pelf. Some have turned anti-Christ. So did Judas. Many have become ministers, bureaucrats and politicians. The genuine ones did profit and are doing good humanitarian work as alumni.

Jesuit education aims at making people ‘Men and women for others’. Some miss the boat. Rao seems to have missed out the gist. We never teach people to spit venom at others. 

Take note Mr. Rao. We are for tribal welfare. We do not belong to the Marxist clan or the Parivar Clan. We are of the Jesus Clan. As long as there is breath in us, we will show our solidarity not only with the Adivasis for their welfare, but also with those Dalits whom you downgrade as subhuman. 

Tribal welfare does not mean conniving with those who loot the resources of tribal areas. Nor does it mean rolling out red carpet to business lobbies to invade tribal areas and cause displacement and emigration of the poor landholders. We speak of justice. We swear by the Constitution of India. We stand with those unjustly treated. Our Master Jesus did so. 

Post Script: Rao’s is seemingly one of the strategies to tarnish and demolish the Church in India. We have seen many such attempts in central India and Eastern India. Now, the latest are incidents such as the Church demolition in Delhi, the recently reported RSS Chitrakoot resolution to eliminate ‘chadar and father’ (Operation minorities), and the attack on Nazareth Hospital at Mokama in Bihar.