Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – Open support in the battle to eliminate discrimination of Indian society towards the "untouchables" and the outcasts: this is the demand being made by India's Christians to U.S. President Barak Obama, in anticipation for his trip to India, set for November 5-8.
In an open letter to Obama - a copy of which was sent to Fides - John Dayal, President of the All India Christian Council (AICC), asks the U.S. President, who in his journey will stop at the monument of Mahatma Gandhi, to include a stop to pay homage to Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956), Indian jurist who was among the drafters of the Indian Constitution, described as "the hero of the untouchables." Joining in the request are other groups and organizations committed to the rights of Dalits. All are hoping for Obama to intervene in fighting the system of caste discrimination that was formally abolished, but is still in vogue in the Indian social practices.
In the letter, the AICC recalls that Ambedkar - himself an "untouchable" - studied at Columbia University, where Obama himself attended. He returned to his country to defend the rights of the marginalized, working to draft a Constitution that is now a "modern document of freedom." The Charter, in fact, recognizes all the rights of the "untouchables", who today are often still ignored in India in the social, economic, political, and cultural contexts.
Thus, the text notes, "We ask for your support in continuing the fight against the caste system in India, to promote the Dalits and fully implement all the guarantees that Ambedkar wrote in the Constitution." The Indian leader, says the letter, follows the great tradition of Abraham Lincoln, in the struggle for human rights. Paying him tribute would be a gesture that strongly encourages "the movement for the emancipation and civilization."
The AICC network, present throughout the Indian nation, works in defense of Christian minority rights, and against discrimination towards Dalits, for their social and economic promotion. It consists of thousands of Christians of different denominations and organizations. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/10/2010)
