Transformation process

 Either it is tweaking existing laws or enacting fresh amendments, the Narendra Modi government continues with its political agenda of changing India that will have profound impact across the nation. These changes sought are strongly opposed as being ‘anti-democratic’ or meant to target some religious communities or liberals opposed to the government and its way of thinking. The latest has been the introduction of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020, in the Lok Sabha, which seeks make significant changes to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Opposition parties have taken strong objection to the proposed amendments, saying they are a means to “target those who speak against the government”. Many civil society leaders and NGO workers, such as Biraj Patnaik, executive director of the National Foundation for India, have called the proposed FCRA amendments a “fatal blow to civil society work”. Leaving aside the proposed amendments, Christian minorities are deeply apprehensive about being targeted, accused, judged and damned. According to a newspaper report, Union Ministry of Home Affairs on September 9, suspended FCRA licences of 13 NGOs after allegations were raised against them for indulging in forced religious conversions of tribals to Christianity in tribal-dominated areas. FCRA licence allows an NGO to receive foreign funds for their work. These organizations were accused of using the acquired funds for ‘religious’ purposes. Earlier on September 7, the MHA had suspended the license of six NGOs under FCRA. For NGOs, registration under FCRA is compulsory for receiving funds from foreign countries. Out of the six organizations whose license has been suspended, four are Christian organizations accused of involvement in conversion activity in Northeast, Mumbai and Jharkhand. These organizations – Ecreosoculis North Western Gossner Evangelical in Jharkhand(rooted in the development of the Gossner mission of Germany in Chhotanagpur region); the Evangelical Churches Association (ECA) in Manipur(founded in 1952 in Manipur whoseorigins can be traced to a Welsh Presbyterian missionary who visited in 1910); Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jharkhand(established in 1987) and New Life Fellowship Association (NLFA) in Mumbai(from New Zealang, which began operations in India in the mid-sixties). As per the report, two other organisations whose license was suspended are the Rajnandgaon Leprosy Hospital and Clinics, and the Don Bosco Tribal Development Society. Whenever people from any other religion, especially Hinduism, convert to Christianity, there is hue and cry about coercion, allurement or fraud used. Christianity did not come with the British. Rather the British rulers were least interested about religion other than exploiting the resources of India.The growth of Christianity has been marginal because conversion was through personal conviction and not allurement nor threats. That is why today the Christian population in India is hardly 2.3 per cent and has never crossed 2.5 percent mark but instead has decreased. The Dalits and Harijans have embraced either Christianity of Islam because of ill treatment and atrocities by upper castes. This has rankled the Sangh Parivar not because of any genuine concern but only for the fear of losing these oppressed classes to other religions. It is not far fetched to say that this is an ominous portent of the future when Christianity could be outlawed, practically though not legally, in mainland India under various pretexts.