Christians not engaged in converting people: Union minister Barla

January 21, 2023 11:18

Union Minister John Barla rejected allegations that Christians are engaged in converting people, and asserted that the community has made immense contributions to the progress of India.

In spite of contributions in the field of education and philanthropy, he said Christians have not found their due recognition, while addressing a Peace Rally here on Friday.

Christian schools can be found everywhere in the country, the BJP leader said asserting that a number of personalities from Mahatma Gandhi to filmstar Shah Rukh Khan had their schooling in such institutions.

"(Besides) there are health centres, old-age homes. Yet, after so much contribution, there is no respect. Why will there be allegations that we convert people? No, we don't convert people," the union minister of state for Minority Affairs said.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in various states accuse Church leaders of converting people to Christianity.

"We want nothing but peace ... Time has come to be united," Barla, himself a Christian, said, adding that members of the community should not face injustice as was the case in Chhattisgarh.

On January 2, a church was vandalised and six police personnel, including an IPS officer, were attacked and injured during a protest by tribals in connection with an alleged religious conversion in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur city.

"If we do not tell the world (about our contribution), we will get beaten up instead," said the MP of Alipurduar in West Bengal.

He said that besides schools, there are hospitals, health centres, old age homes and other facilities run by Christians with their funds, but still, they do not get respect.

Barla said, "From the time I became a minister, as the minority minister, as Christian, I thought - what is our contribution to the country? What have we given and what have we got in return? both before and after Independence. What respect did we get for our contribution?"

There are Christian schools in the remotest area of the country where there are no government institutes, he said.

Eminent personalities such as freedom fighters Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi, politicians LK Advani, Arun Jaitley, Smriti Irani, JP Nadda, "Pawar family" and filmstar Shah Rukh Khan - all studied in Christian schools, Barla claimed.

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