Christians call for Representation in India Cabinet

Christian leaders in India have expressed their concerns regarding representation of the Christian community in the Maharashtra Cabinet. Currently there are no Christian representatives who could represent Christian-like opinions at the state level.

In November 2004, the All India Catholic Union (AICU) urged the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to agree for the inclusion of Annie Shekhar, the Christian MLA from Colaba, South Mumbai into the State Cabinet.

In an official statement by AICU it says: "First of all there are very few Christians in prominent places in the hierarchy of any political parties in the country today. In case the of Maharashtra, over the past several years there have been hardly any Christians in the State Cabinet."

The issue was not concluded even several months later. Yesterday a delegation of several Christian leaders led by Dolphy D'souza, President of The Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) met with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. He was accompanied by the All India Catholic Union's state president - T X Sequeira, vice presidents Prof Lilla D'Souza and Rita D'Sa, secretary general Vinod Noronha, joint general secretary general Anand Castellino, Jt.Gen. Secretary, St Luke's Medical Guild secretary Dr Neil Abreo anc Lawrence.

D'souza presented a memorandum that holds demands for the inclusion of Annie Shekhar to the State Cabinet to represent the Christian minority. Deshmukh accepted facts included in the presentation and assured the delegation he would recommend the memorandum to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.