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Reject Joshi's move, Christians urge CMs

Christian leaders have called upon all chief ministers to announce public celebrations on the 2000th birth anniversary of Jesus Christ in their states.

In letters to chief ministers, the Concerned Christian Forum, a group representing major Catholic and Protestant groups, said state governments must repudiate Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi's decision.

Dr Joshi had 'rejected' Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's suggestion on the 'Year of Christ' celebrations. His contention was that 'Christianity is an alien religion'.

Dr Joshi's decision created a furore in religious circles with Christian organisations, still grieving the anti-Christian violence of 1998-99, accusing the government of blatant communalism.

In New Delhi, a five-member delegation of Christian leaders led by Air Marshal (retired) Denzil Keelor, president of New Delhi YMCA, and John Dayal, national secretary of the All India Catholic Union and the All India Christian Council, called on Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and presented her a memorandum of their demands.

Dikshit expressed her concern at the delay in the arrest of those guilty in crimes against Christians. She, however, said that because of the election code, she would not be able to make any announcement at this juncture.

In their memorandum, the community leaders said, ''Throughout the world, nations and governments as well as people's organisations have planned meaningful celebrations to usher in the new millennium, and to commemorate 2000 years of the birth of Jesus.

''We were shocked when Dr Joshi turned down a proposal which we understand came from Vajpayee himself that the government of India join the world in celebrating 1999-2000 as the 'Year of Christ' whose message of peace and love form the bedrock of democratic tradition.''

The memorandum called upon the Union government and all state governments to renounce this 'communal and chauvinistic viewpoint', which is rejected by the secular citizens of India, and to speedily announce that this 'great nation' and its secular people will join their Christian brethren in celebrating the 2000th birth anniversary of Jesus Christ.

''We also call upon you as the chief minister of Delhi to powerfully impress on the central government to make public the Justice Wadhwa Commission report on the gruesome murder by burning of Graham Stuart Staines and his sons in January this year. It is a matter of regret that the report has not been made public so far,'' the statement said.

UNI

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