Dalit Christian leaders demand scan on Church funds

Organiser,2004 Issues > September 19, 2004


Open Forum
Dalit Christian leaders demand scan on Church funds
By Samuel Massey

HUNDREDS of Dalit Christians staged a day-long dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against “increasing corruption in Church organisations” and asked the UPA government at the Centre to bring about transparency in working of Christian NGOs that misutilise foreign aid and funds received in the name of welfare and upliftment of the poor and downtrodden. The Poor Christian Liberation Fund (PCLM) also submitted a memorandum in this regard to Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.

Protesting against the fight and dispute for control of resources between the Christian organisations and William Carey Study and Research Centre (WSCRC), the PCLM activists and supporters alleged that Smt. Jyotsna Chatterjee and her family want to maintain their monopoly and are torturing and oppressing the workers who are raising their voice against the misutilisation and embezzlement of funds of the two NGOs. It is also alleged that corruption and intense irregularities of foreign funds and grants meant for the service and upliftment of the downtrodden and the poor are at their heights and there is no transparency in the working of the two NGOs. The movement activists have asked the government to set up an enquiry into the affairs of the two Christian NGOs.

Addressing the Dalit Christians, Shri R.L. Francis, president, PCLM, alleged that “Christian missionary NGOs are indulging in corruption, casteism and favouritism. There is no transparency on how the funds for the vast downtrodden and poor sections of the community are being utilised.” He said that the Church organisations do not submit any account of the crores and crores of funds received as grants-in-aid. Comparing the church leadership with capitalism, Shri Fancis said that the Christian schools, colleges, hospitals and other organisations were earning huge profits in the name of serving the community and yet the church leadership is not willing to provide any account of the same either to the community or to the government.

Shri Francis appealed to the UPA government to stress upon the Church organisations to spend at least 50 per cent of their huge profits and income towards the development and upliftment of the poor and downtrodden sections of the Christian community. Shri Francis also urged the government to bring about transparency in the working, the incomes and expenditures of the Christian NGOs and educational and social institutions, including hospitals.

Dismissing the demand of the Church leadership to include Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Caste list, Shri Francis said, “On the one hand, the Church demands reservation for Dalit Christians from the government while on the other, it opposes and refuses to provide them reservation in the Church structure. The Poor Christian Liberation Movement wants that the Prime Minister, instead of giving Dalit Christians the lollipop of including them in the Scheduled Caste list, should instead set up a Dalit Christian Development Board for undertaking concerted social and economic development of Dalit Christians.”

Social activists A.K. Ambrose and Jawahar Singh urged the directors of William Carey Study and Research Centre to stop exploitation of its workers on the strength of their money power. They asked the government to investigate into the embezzlement of foreign funds received by the organisation in the name of the poor. Dalit Jhuggi Jhopri Ekta Manch, Urban Poor Forum, the Delhi Human Development Forum and other like-minded public service organisations also extended their support to the demand of the Poor Christian Liberation Movement to bring about transparency in the working of NGOs engaged in public service.