Disillusioned and enraged over the alleged repeated persecution of their community members, Chhattisgarh Christian Forum has launched its own online social media platform ‘YouTube channel’ in an attempt to uncover violations and safeguard secular rights as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
Owned and operated by the Forum, the channel will also focus on the failure of the political parties, bureaucracy and police to protect the secular rights of the Christian community in Chhattisgarh.
“Lot of channels exist on religion but ours is dedicated only to the secular rights which are not just trampled but almost extinguished for the Christian community. There remains no alternative for us except to stand up and fight for our secular rights. The channel will emphasize on how the fundamental rights are being breached.
What remains equally worrying is that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh is ideologically biased in its endeavour to consolidate the votes of the majority community at the cost of ignoring the minority community”, asserted Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum.
When the concept on YouTube channel was initially floated in March this year, over 2.20 lakh people had searched for the channel, which indicated how the people are desperate to seek solutions on the burning issue of secular rights being subverted, he added.
The contents of the channel will also broadcast the negligence or indifference of the government on the security rights, the hopes and aspirations of the Christian community and the talk shows engaging the experts and members from the other community.
“We will not talk about religion but confined only on secular issues, how such rights are threatened and weakened for the Christians. The channel with come out with the suggestive criticisms to encourage corrective measures”, Pannalal averred.
The Christian community in Chhattisgarh felt offended over repeated charges faced on alleged religious conversions and politically motivated game plan subverting their rights. Chhattisgarh ArchBishop had even remarked that they (Christians) are being used as “football by the political parties to further their own agenda”.