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February 9, 2000

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Church groups oppose Constitution review

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The Indian Church has opposed the government's decision to appoint a committee headed by former chief justice of India M N Venkatachelliah to review the Constitution.

In a letter to President K R Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Archbishop Alan de Lastic has demanded an immediate meeting of the National Integration Council, "which is fairly representative of all sections of society", to discuss the proposed review and expressed "grave apprehensions" about the government's intentions.

"I find that the setting up of the Commission has not been done in a democratic manner," the archbishop, who is president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said.

In his letter, de Lastic pointed out that "there are more important and pressing concerns of the nation, like our fight against poverty, illiteracy, injustice and other evils. These should be tackled first."

Archbishop de Lastic is also president of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, a collective body representing various Christian denominations and similar organisations.

In his letter to the prime minister, the archbishop pointed out that the Christian community, together with other minorities and civil society, "were greatly surprised with the government's announcement of a Commission to review the Constitution the People gave to themselves on 26th January 1950."

He said the apprehensions of the minority communities have been aggravated with the fail accompli presented to them in the naming of the members of this review commission and the vagueness of its terms of reference.

"We fear no democratically acceptable result can come from a structure which is itself rooted in what the people perceive to be undemocratic decisions. Not one of the many representative bodies in our Democratic Republic has been consulted in the entire process. The greatest institution of them all, the Parliament of free India, has been bypassed, the President not only not consulted, but ignored," he said.

"I ask you, does it augur well for the future? I ask you, does this add to the confidence of the people, specially of the minorities who look on the Constitution of India as the safeguard of their fundamental rights and liberties?" he wrote to Vajpayee.

"Many members of the commission have definite political leanings. The government's cynical attempt to justify the inclusion of others for their religious affiliations makes a parody of democratic representation. Despite the assurances of the Commission chairman, Mr Justice Venkatachelliah, that the basic features of the Constitution will not be under review, individual members have already disclosed their particular agendas. That many of them represent definite political persuasions, and have definite ideological loyalties, raises serious doubts on the outcome of this Commission. Some members of the panel have in the past espoused the Presidential Form of government with all powers vested in an autocratic leadership," the archbishop said.

The government's leadership, which subscribes to the "One nation, one people, one culture" political thesis, has itself forced an agenda for the commission, maintaining that it needs a fixed term in office. "This could take it out of the purview of parliamentary norms of being in office till it retains the confidence of the House and of the people. A communal, dictatorial and partisan government can play havoc with all that is sacred and good in India's political heritage," he said in the letter.

On his demand for convening the National Integration Council, the archbishop said the NIC was set up as an important forum to discuss and resolve contentious issues in a non-partisan manner and with the spirit of consolidating the plural heritage and secular dimensions of the great nation.

Oswald Gracious, secretary general of the CBCI and Bombay's auxiliary bishop, said, "It is very clear that the commission has been constituted for serious political reasons." He said the government is "unnecessarily trying to create problems" by appointing such a committee.

John Dayal, a senior official of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, said: "What was the pressing hurry in constituting this commission, when Parliament is meeting a week from now?"

Dayal also questioned the logic of the government's attempt to project P A Sangma, one of the members of the Constitution Review Committee, as a representative of the Christian community. "Then where are the representatives of women? Who is representing Muslims, OBCs, Dalits, Sikhs, Jains?" He remarked, "The government is afraid to face the democratic forums."

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