‘Gujarat is in apartheid; vote against communalism to save Goa’

Wherever he goes, they follow him; his every move is watched, every word censored. They try to muzzle his voice, afraid that he will let out the truth; but a Gujarat priest, Cedric Prakash SJ, is prepared to walk through the gates of hell if he has to, to save India’s pluralistic culture and vibrant democracy. 

On a recent visit to Goa, he stresses that Goa’s ‘two votes’ matter. 

Introduce us to Narendra Modi.

Prakash: Narendra Modi follows an ideology that has given birth to an organization that promotes a theory of a Hindu nation. He is a product of the RSS, a communal force that has begun to destroy the essence of democracy. I respect him as a human being but he manifests tendencies that are against the heart of India. He is exclusive, self centered, arrogant and extremely vengeful. He lives in a myth and all his lies emerge from this fake world. 

Is Modi really communal or is it an illusion of the media?

Prakash: Let me elaborate a law that presently exists in 21^st century modern day Gujarat. The freedom of religion law is a perfect example of why Modi is a fascist leader. The local law provides that if you want to convert to another religion, you have to go to a civil authority, who in this case is the collector.  He decides whether your case is a fraud or you have taken the decision out of force and if he finds that you are changing your religion for a more dignified life, you are denied permission. 

If you are to attain Baptism in Gujarat, you have to submit the name and email- ID of the priest, and the names of the guests to the civil authorities.  If this is not a totalitarian regime, what is? Gujarat government’s rules and regulations smack of dictatorship. 

People argue that a dictator cannot survive in 21^st century India, so why should Goa fear Modi at the Centre?

Prakash:  In 2006, at the Shabari Kumbh Mela, he warned the missionaries that they would have to live under his terms. Last Easter, a close aid of Modi who belongs to his own constituency said that by 2015, Gujarat would be the first Hindu state in India, leading the way for the country. Suspended Gujarat IPS officer D G Vanjara wrote a 10-page letter from jail confessing that it was only on the orders of Amit Shah and Narendra Modi that he went about killing innocent Muslim youth, but his voice has been suppressed. If it can happen to him in Gujarat, it can happen to you in Goa. Once again, it is not just Modi, it is the entire gambit of the RSS. It is the party’s ideology that can destroy Goa.  

So you are saying it is not safe for a Goan Christian to vote for the BJP?

Prakash: Not just Christian! Every Goan - Hindu, Christian or Muslim - should feel unsafe to vote the BJP into power because of its core ideology which is against the Constitution of India. Gujarat has no democracy and no development, it is apartheid in apartheid, Goans have to vote against communalism to save themselves and their rich and vibrant pluralistic culture. 

Modi says the courts have given him a clean chit, doesn’t that absolve him of all accusations?

Prakash: No court in India has absolved him of the crime! There is no ‘clean chit’ given by any court. The SIT report has been challenged by the Raghuram Rajan committee report and now the Gujarat High Court is yet to give its verdict. The public prosecutors mostly belong to the Sangh parivar and most judges in the lower courts are scared for their lives, but I want to insist that we have hope and trust in the Gujarat High Court, that it will give us justice and support the truth. 

What is the general feeling among minority communities in Gujarat?

Prakash: Christians in Gujarat are not with Modi. Christians and Muslims are denied government jobs because of their religion and what makes this situation even frustrating is that the government doesn’t have to justify their decision on this matter. There is no Muslim or Christian representative in Modi’s government and there will never be.

Minority scholarships for Muslim students haven’t been implemented till today, despite instructions from the Supreme Court to do so. Police are constantly sent to check baptism registers at churches all over Gujarat and of late he hasn’t been granting permission to establish Christian schools. There is no direct violence but his intimidation is more of a silent harassment. 

 

If you say it is silent harassment, why is it that people don’t speak up?

Prakash: Modi has the tendency to buy you and then muzzles you. There are IB officials stationed outside my office, keeping track of my daily activities. These IAS, IPS officers in Gujarat are scared to death and afraid that he will harm their family if they go against his wishes.  In Goa, BJP has done the same. It has made one a deputy and given another the honour of seeing her dead husband’s name embedded on a colonial building, so that they shut up and be his stooges. Why are Goans oblivious to the signs around them? Tomorrow your phones will be tapped and your movements constantly monitored. Goans need to stand up against this Globalization of indifference and don’t wait until the serpent reaches your door.

Considering it contributes just two seats to Parliament, why all the attention for Goa?

Prakash:  Goa is looked upon as Christian and educated. If Goa votes for Modi, he will brag that he has the support and encouragement of the minority community. It is also an international destination – a perfect place for Modi to sell his propaganda. 

 

You are implying that Goa can make a difference with two seats?

Prakash: Yes, Goa can make a difference considering the federal structure of our country. Do not shrug it off because it is just two seats, vote smartly and show that the people of Goa are matured and can see through false promises, party ideologies and have a voice of their own. Vote for the candidate who will stand by the Goan community and rich heritage. Vote for the candidate who will shield you from attacks by communalists. 

Goans are trapped between the dark blue ocean and the devil on the shore. How do they choose between corruption and communalism? 

Prakash: The Congress government has been without doubt corrupt, but the BJP is no less when it comes to corruption. Therefore, if the BJP comes to power the next government will be both corrupt and communal. If you have to choose between the two evils, choose the lesser evil. As a minority, you can fight corruption but you cannot fight communalism.