From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Mar 25: Representatives of the Christian community expressed their ''anger and hurt” at the ruling Congress party in Karnataka for ''ignoring and betraying” the community by not fielding even a single candidate in the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State and have threatened to consider option like holding dialogue with other secular parties and exercising mass NOTA (none of the above) option to register their protests.
 
The Christian leaders, who came together to address a news conference in Bangalore on Tuesday under the banner of Bharatiya Kraistha Okkoota, affiliated to the Global Council of Indian Christians and the Economic and Social Forum of the United Nations, comprised the International Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations (IFKCA) and Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA).

Okkoota President Charles Ambler, IFKCA Secretary Michael Baptist, FKCA past chairmen Valerian R Fernandes and Charles Gomes, who addressed the press, claimed that the Congress party, which has always treated the Christian community along with other minorities as its ''vote banks,” had completely ignored it by denying even a single ticket for parliament.
 
The Christian leaders claimed that the community accounted for nearly 4 per cent of Karnataka’s total population of over 6.2 crore and had sizeable presence in the Mangalore, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Karwar, Shimoga, Dharwad, Belgaum, Mysore and Bangalore and if the entire community chose to boycott the Congress or vote in favour of the party considered most amenable to protect their interest, it could tilt the elections as the margin of victory in several constituencies in tight electoral contests was very narrow.
 
In fact, the Christian leaders claimed that in the last assembly elections in the State, ''nearly 40 per cent of the assembly seats were won by Congress with a margin of about 6,000 votes,” and argued that the Congress party ''would not have won these seats but for the backing of the Christian community.”
 
The Christian leaders said the Congress party should have been ''more considerate and sympathetic” to the community, knowing full well its loyal backing over the years, and alleged that the Congress government was '''deliberately sidelining Christians from top posts in the Government. Barring Home Minister K J George, there is no Christian representation in the Cabinet. Even during the assembly elections, just two tickets were given and both got elected. If proportionate representation based on the Christian population was to be considered, Christians should have been given at least 8 assembly tickets.”
 
''It is becoming evident that Congress is not interested in the votes of the Christian community and therefore even the Christian voters may reciprocate in similar lines in the next election,” they said.
 
The Christian leaders said the present Congress government of chief minister Siddaramaiah''is apathetic to the issues of the community” and pointed out that the Christian Development Council set up by the previous BJP government headed by B S Yeddyurappa and continued by the subsequent chief ministers had ''not been taken forward now” and the members are not announced even after almost a year since the Government assumed office. Even the schemes of the Karnataka State Minorities Development Corporation has been modified in such a way that they have become useless to the community.

''Not a single Christian was recognized by the present government in the Rajyothsava awards for the year 2013, which indicated the bias against the community,” they said.
 
Answering questions, the Christian leaders said former MP and National Minorities Commission vice chairman H T Sangliana and Nivedit Alva, son of Jharkhand governor Margaret Alva, were among the prominent contenders from the community. ''We know there are several more deserving candidates among the community. But the Congress party does not believe in identifying, nurturing and promoting talent as can be seen from the lack of representation to the community in the government or in the party organization from block to taluk and district or the State level,” they said.
 
They, however, clarified that they were not interested in espousing the cause of any individuals but were mainly interested in focusing the hurt feelings and anger of the community at the Congress party and its leaders for taking the community for granted.
 
Asked why none of the Christian leaders made any attempt to get the Congress ticket by entering the fray in the new system of primaries introduced by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Mangalore and Bangalore north, as Christian were in sizeable numbers in both constituencies, the Christian leaders chose not to answer.
 
To another question on why the Christian community kept quiet till the end with the filing of nomination papers scheduled to end on March 26, Wednesday, the Christian leaders said they were hopeful that the Congress party would make amends even at the last minute.

''We have been holding consultations among ourselves and have now decided to voice our anger at the betrayal,” they added.