Telangana Christians seek invite for talks

HYDERABAD - The Christian community of the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh has urged the central government to invite it for talks on the formation of a separate Telangana state.

Voicing their concern over the recent attacks on churches, pastors and Christian officials, the Christian leaders from both Catholic and Protestant churches said they had their apprehensions about security and want to be heard during the process for forming the new state.

Leaders of the Global Alliance Christian Leaders told a news conference here Saturday that the community was being sidelined in the consultation process.

They said while they were not against separate statehood for Telangana, they would like their concerns to be addressed and given assurances about their role and rights in the new state.

G. David Shant Raj, chairman of the Global Alliance Christian Leaders, said Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who has convened a meeting of all political parties Jan 5, should also invite Christian leaders for talks.

“We want to share our views. We want to know what will be the share of Christians in the power, what will be done for their safety and security?” he said.

In view of the attacks on Christians during the ongoing agitation for Telangana, the Christian leaders apprehend that communal forces could strengthen in the new state.

“There have been at least 32 incidents of attacks on churches, pastors and Christians during the last one month,” he said, blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its students’s wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the attacks.

He referred to the attack on the house of M.D. Christopher, secretary of the Andhra Pradesh state council for higher education, on the Osmania University campus and transfer of Deputy Commissioner of Police Stephen Ravindra for alleged use of excessive force on university students.

Another leader John Ravinder said Christians were warned against conducting midnight prayers on Dec 31.

Christians constitute about two percent of the total population in the Telangana region, which comprises 10 districts, including Hyderabad.