Archbishop calls for prayers before ’19 poll

New Delhi, May 22

Delhi’s Archbishop Anil Couto has kicked up a storm with his remark that a “turbulent political atmosphere” posed a threat to India’s democratic principles and secular fabric, a charge rejected by the government which on Tuesday said the comments reflected his “prejudiced” mindset.

Couto had written to all parish priests and religious institutions in the Delhi archdiocese a few days before the May-12 Karnataka elections, calling for a “prayer campaign” ahead of the 2019 General Election.

While Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said India did not discriminate on the basis of religion or sect, his ministerial colleague Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi asked the archbishop to come out of his “prejudiced” mindset and asserted that minorities had progressed at a fast pace under the current government.

Union Minister of Tourism K J Alphons said the remarks were “unfair” to the government and “godmen” should stay away from politics.

Couto’s comments were also criticised by the BJP, with party president Amit Shah stressing that it was “not appropriate” to polarise people around religion.

However, the archbishop, who had asked Christians to fast every Friday “for the nation”, on Tuesday clarified his letter had nothing to do with the Narendra Modi government. “What I said is spend time once a week for our nation and especially because elections are coming and government concerns all of us. So it is not in any way pertaining to the government of Narendra Modi,” he said when asked about the letter.

The archbishop, in his letter, said: “We are witnessing a turbulent political atmosphere, which poses threat to democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution and the secular fabric of our nation.” — PTI