Author: Samuel Massey
Publication: Organiser
Date: September 19, 2004
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=41&page=32
Hundreds of Dalit Christians staged
a day-long dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against "increasing
corruption in Church organisations" and asked the UPA government at the
Centre to bring about transparency in working of Christian NGOs that misutilise
foreign aid and funds received in the name of welfare and upliftment of
the poor and downtrodden. The Poor Christian Liberation Fund (PCLM) also
submitted a memorandum in this regard to Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.
Protesting against the fight and
dispute for control of resources between the Christian organisations and
William Carey Study and Research Centre (WSCRC), the PCLM activists and
supporters alleged that Smt. Jyotsna Chatterjee and her family want to
maintain their monopoly and are torturing and oppressing the workers who
are raising their voice against the misutilisation and embezzlement of
funds of the two NGOs. It is also alleged that corruption and intense irregularities
of foreign funds and grants meant for the service and upliftment of the
downtrodden and the poor are at their heights and there is no transparency
in the working of the two NGOs. The movement activists have asked the government
to set up an enquiry into the affairs of the two Christian NGOs.
Addressing the Dalit Christians,
Shri R.L. Francis, president, PCLM, alleged that "Christian missionary
NGOs are indulging in corruption, casteism and favouritism. There is no
transparency on how the funds for the vast downtrodden and poor sections
of the community are being utilised." He said that the Church organisations
do not submit any account of the crores and crores of funds received as
grants-in-aid. Comparing the church leadership with capitalism, Shri Fancis
said that the Christian schools, colleges, hospitals and other organisations
were earning huge profits in the name of serving the community and yet
the church leadership is not willing to provide any account of the same
either to the community or to the government.
Shri Francis appealed to the UPA
government to stress upon the Church organisations to spend at least 50
per cent of their huge profits and income towards the development and upliftment
of the poor and downtrodden sections of the Christian community. Shri Francis
also urged the government to bring about transparency in the working, the
incomes and expenditures of the Christian NGOs and educational and social
institutions, including hospitals.
Dismissing the demand of the Church
leadership to include Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Caste list, Shri
Francis said, "On the one hand, the Church demands reservation for Dalit
Christians from the government while on the other, it opposes and refuses
to provide them reservation in the Church structure. The Poor Christian
Liberation Movement wants that the Prime Minister, instead of giving Dalit
Christians the lollipop of including them in the Scheduled Caste list,
should instead set up a Dalit Christian Development Board for undertaking
concerted social and economic development of Dalit Christians."
Social activists A.K. Ambrose and
Jawahar Singh urged the directors of William Carey Study and Research Centre
to stop exploitation of its workers on the strength of their money power.
They asked the government to investigate into the embezzlement of foreign
funds received by the organisation in the name of the poor. Dalit Jhuggi
Jhopri Ekta Manch, Urban Poor Forum, the Delhi Human Development Forum
and other like-minded public service organisations also extended their
support to the demand of the Poor Christian Liberation Movement to bring
about transparency in the working of NGOs engaged in public service.
(The writer can be contacted at
pelm5@hotmail.com)
