Binoy Viswam
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)
To,
Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, Government of India
Respected Shri Narendra Modi ji,
Date: 9th February, 2024
I write to you in the backdrop of your meeting with Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, in the presence of two Union Ministers, Shri Rajeev Chandrashekhar and V. Muralidharan in the Parliament Hosue today. On earlier occasions too, your outreach and meetings with Christian Bishops and business leaders, mainly from Kerala and the North East, were much discussed. According to the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, Chairperson, Vice- Chairperson and members of the National Commission for Minorities are to be nominated from the minority communities only. However, the Christian Community remains without representation in the National Commission for Minorities and matters pertaining to the well-being of the community go unheard in the National Commission for Minorities. This absence is a violation of the spirit of the the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 and does injustice to the Christian community of the country.
It needs stating here that Christians are the second largest minority group in the country with population spread all-over the country. They form a major population group in my home state of Kerala. Christians communities were targeted recently by hooligans in many instances and Churches and Schools were harmed. In Manipur, I myself could see the violence, arson and attacks Churches and schools faced. In such a situation, no Christian representation in the National Commission for Minorities deprives the community of the protection of an important institution of our democracy. In this context, I urge you to take necessary action to fill the vacant position in the National Commission for Minorities as soon as possible so Christians of the country could avail the protection under the the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. In the absence such an action, your outreach attempts to the Christian community will be construed as empty gestures with narrow political motivations, devoid of any genuine feeling for the rights of the community.
Yours sincerely
Binoy Viswam
Leader of CPI Parliamentary Party & Secretary, CPI Kerala
