Christian groups recommend candidate for National Minorities Commission after expulsion from government body

Since Maharashtra’s National and Minority Commissions have no Christian members, civic groups in Mumbai have recommended their candidate to the body.

Prominent Christian organizations of the city, Watchdog Foundation, Bombay Catholic Sabha, Association of Concerned Christians, United People’s Christian Reform Association and others have written to the National Commission for Minorities, BJP President JP Nadda and the Prime Minister’s Office, suggesting a social worker. Agnelo Fernandes, general secretary of the Mumbai minority cell of the BJP, is vying for the post. Fernandez has the support of Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay, who wrote to Kiren Rijij, the minister for minority affairs, recommending Fernandez, a resident of Mahim, for the position.

Christian groups were disappointed by the lack of a Christian representative on the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, which they felt left their voices unheard in political discussions. The community believes this misses an opportunity to bridge differences and effectively represent Christian issues at the national level. The nine-member state commission currently includes six Muslims, two Jains and a Sikh, with the latter two groups making up a much smaller population than Christians in the state. The national body has a Parsi member but no representative of the Christian community, which made up 2.3% of the country’s population in 2011. The last Christian member of the national body was George Kurian, now a minister, who was appointed as its vice-chairman in 2011. 2017. Janet D. Souza, senior vice-president of the Mumbai branch of the Congress, who was the vice-chairman of the state body, was its last Christian member.

Father Nigel Barrett, a spokesman for Cardinal Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay, said he was not aware of any recommendations from the cardinal. “However, we are disappointed that no Christians have been appointed to the minority panel and we call on the government to reconsider its decision and ensure that at least one Christian is appointed to the minority panel,” Barrett said.

Fernandes attributed the lack of Christian members in the national and state minority commissions to the fact that there were not many Christian members in the BJP office. “Political parties make appointments to the commission. We must recognize that appointments are made by political parties. Christians stay away from the BJP. If you do not apply for these positions, how do you expect a Christian to become a member,” Fernandez added. A Christian delegation led by community leaders recently met Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, who reportedly expressed his support for Fernandes. Archie Sodder of the AOCC said the National Minority Commission had not had a Christian representative for more than eight years. “Agnelo Fernandez’s presence would solve our community’s problems and promote inclusivity,” Sodder said.

Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation added: “We hope that Agnelo Fernandes will be appointed this time. His experience, leadership and community support make him an ideal candidate.”