LONG-SIMMERING PROPERTY DISPUTE AT HEART OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 001818 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KIRF KDEM PGOV SCUL CASC IN SUBJECT: LONG-SIMMERING PROPERTY DISPUTE AT HEART OF EMMANUEL MINISTRIES' TROUBLES REF: NEW DELHI 1660 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Although the Emmanuel Mission (EM) case has aroused considerable controversy in the press, the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha (Parliament),it is not likely to be resolved quickly. There are powerful vested property-interests on both sides of the dispute. Congress, playing the role of the active opposition in Rajasthan, has joined with Christian groups (The All India Christian Council, The All India Catholic Union, The Jaipur Christian Association),human rights groups and the Left (Communists) to criticize the state government and call for redressal of EM grievances. The Hindu nationalist wing of the ruling BJP government has dug in its heels, envisioning this as an ideological dispute between two opposing camps and calling for legal action against the EM, which it accuses of insulting Hindu sentiments through it what it considers aggressive proselytizing. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who herself has no sympathy with the Hindutva philosophy or its adherents, is treading a fine line, trying to ensure the state's offended Hindu population that she will not countenance the publication of what Hindus consider offensive books (such as Haqeeqat - "reality" which is at the center of the dispute.) CM Raje is equally adamant that her administration will not tolerate abuse of minorities by hard-line Hindutva elements. The central government, like CM Raje, is appalled at attempts by Hindu extremists to instill fear in Rajasthan's Christian community and has spoken out against it. The GOI is attempting to address this case through its National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),which, due to its limited mandate, and the nature of Center/State responsibilities, cannot take quick or decisive action. The inherent complexities of this property dispute that has serious connations for religious freedom, all but guarantee that there will not be a simple or timely solution, even if CM Raje wants one. End Summary. Uproar in the State Assembly -------------- ¶2. (U) In Rajasthan's March 14 Legislative Assembly Session, opposition MLA's from the Congress Party charged the ruling BJP with attempting to cash in on religious sentiments by dividing Christians from Hindus. One MLA charged that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje purportedly refused to meet a delegation of Christians who wanted to discuss the EM issue with her. Other Congress MLA's accused Sangh Pariwar (Hindu nationalist) groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP),the Bajrang Dal, and the Hindu Jagran Manch of using "Haqeeqat" (an EM publication that Hindus say denigrates their religion) as an excuse to attack Christian institutions and vandalize churches. ¶3. (U) CM Vasundhara Raje moved quickly to ensure that the controversial EM case did not get out of control and cause further damage to communal harmony or Rajasthan's reputation as an attractive destination for tourists and foreign investment. Stating that "nobody would be allowed to take the law into their own hands in the name of religion," Raje asserted that "We are one family in Rajasthan. We don't want to create a divide in the State: whether the matter relates to Christians, Hindus or Muslims." Raje also warned EM's Bishop Thomas and his family that "We will severely punish those behind "Haqeeqat," a book which many Rajasthan Hindus have found offensive for its criticism of Hindu deities, "idolatry," Hindu religious practices and general characterization of the religion as superstitious and perhaps NEW DELHI 00001818 002 OF 004 "demonic." To back up her threats, Raje dispatched policemen to Kerala to arrest the book's author, MH Mathew, and ordered the Mission to withdraw the book from its bookstore. Reflects Debate in the Lok Sabha -------------- ¶4. (U) The EM issue is also reverberating in New Delhi, where MP's on March 13 expressed serious concerns regarding the alleged attacks against Christians in Rajasthan. Congress and Communist MP's were most outspoken, with a Communist MP from Kerala alleging that such attacks have increased since the BJP government took over in 2004, resulting in "desecration of the holy church and the burning of the Holy Bible." He accused the Rajasthan government of not taking "enough and suitable" action to stop the attacks. The UPA Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi assured the MP's that he would pass on their concerns to the Home Minister. The Communists sent a delegation of five MP's to Kota to investigate the case. They met with local government officials and EM representatives. The delegation supported allegations that Hindu communalists in league with BJP government officials were attempting to stir-up a religious controversy for their own ends. They stated afterwards that Home Minister Patil had promised to activate the EM accounts. National Human Rights Commission Addressing the Issue -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In a March 16 conversation with Poloff, Ajit Bharihoke, a registrar from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) confirmed that he had been ordered to investigate the Emmanuel Mission case. Stating that the NHRC has "taken note of the matter" on March 2, Bharihoke pointed out that the Commission had ordered the Director General of the Rajasthan Police and the state's Chief Secretary to submit reports by no later than April 2. Bharihoke noted that after he receives the Rajasthan reports he must analyze them to determine whether they document sufficient abuse to warrant a separate NHRC investigation. The Mission arranged for EM representatives to meet with NHRC Secretary General Nirmal Singh on March 14, and EM told us that the meeting was a good opportunity for them to present their case directly to the Commission. While an Anti-Conversion Bill Languishes -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Shanti Dhariwal, the current Congress MLA representing Kota, spoke to us on March 16. He confirmed that there is a draft of an "anti-conversion" bill in circulation. Rajasthan sources claimed to us that CM Raje has refused to introduce the bill in the current session of the Legislative Assembly and has told her party that she will not do so until she has had a chance thoroughly to examine the bill to determine whether it is viable. Raje has consistently opposed such efforts in the past, and we would not be surprised if she allowed the draft bill to die a quiet death without ever being introduced. Dhariwal pointed out that in 2005 Hindutva elements had also clashed with the EM and threatened to introduce an anti-conversion bill and that nothing happened. He strongly suspected that the outcome would be the same this year, promising that Congress would strongly oppose such legislation if it were introduced. (The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is almost equally divided between Congress and the BJP, and such a bill would have slim NEW DELHI 00001818 003 OF 004 chance of passage if introduced.) A Report from the Legislative Assembly -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Opposition MLA Dhariwal confirmed that three men associated with the Emmanual Mission have been arrested for their role in the publication of "Ha1!DQQ \QQ(mVl%aQQY~jed. He also noted that there are no arrest warrants pending for EM leaders and founders Samuel Thomas and his father MA Thomas, although the police would like to question them. ¶8. (SBU) Dhariwal also confirmed that the Rajasthan Government has frozen the EM's bank accounts under the Societies Act, as it had not submitted its accounts for audit as required under the law. Characterizing the freezing of the bank accounts as regrettable, Dhariwal pointed out that by not complying with the law, the EM had provided its opponents with a convenient excuse to put pressure on it. Alex Sam, an EM volunteer, told us on March 13 that 85 percent of the group's funding comes from the US and that it could not long function without these foreign funds. GOI Clampdown on Errant NGO's -------------- ¶9. (SBU) While the EM's bank accounts have been shut under the Rajasthan Societies Act, thousands of errant NGO's across the country are facing sanction under the Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act (FCRA) of 1976, which was meant to contain widespread corruption and financial irregularities involving foreign donations. As with the Societies Act in Rajasthan, the FCRA requires NGO's across the country to submit their books for GOI audit. Only 17,000 of India's 32,000 NGO's have complied, with 8,000 having not submitted their books for over three years. The GOI has now proscribed 8,673 such groups from receiving any foreign funding. A list of organizations blacklisted by the GOI published in the Indian press includes primarily Hindu and secular organizations, with only a small contingent of Christian and Muslim groups. This indicates that the GOI has applied the Act fairly and is not pursuing a communal agenda. Comment: More than Meets the Eye -------------- ¶10. (SBU) We have conferred with numerous Rajasthan contacts who confirm that it is common knowledge in the state that the Thomas family and BJP leader and Minister Madan Delivar have been involved in a bitter and ongoing property dispute for some time (reftel.) Our contacts have asserted that Delivar was unable to pursue the dispute under the Congress government and hoped to use the BJP's 2004 assumption of power as a chance to get even. However Vasundhara Raje has kept him from pursuing his vendetta. Now, facing a deeply divided state BJP and a revolt from hard-line Hindutva elements, Raje is finding it harder to restrain them. Delivar took advantage of Raje's moment of weakness, EM's association with the translator of "Haqeeqat" and the discovery that the book was for sale in the EM bookstore to strike. While Delivar has stirred up communal tensions in Kota, his real object is to destroy the Thomas family. The fact that prominent Hindus from all walks of life have spoken out against Delivar, and that the BJP Chief Minister is NEW DELHI 00001818 004 OF 004 trying to rein him in, indicate that Delivar's support is limited. There will be no quick solution to this rural property drama that has morphed into a religious dispute. If anything, a slow burn will ensure that the matter gets continued scrutiny from the Indian press and civil society, even as CM Raje tries her best to preserve communal harmony. ¶11. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) BLAKE