KOLKATA, India (UCAN) -- Age is no barrier for Anthony Arun Biswas who is contesting parliamentary elections for the third time. Even if he loses, the 78-year-old Catholic says his candidature will bring attention to the party he founded for religious minorities 32 years ago.
He is the only Catholic running for political office in West Bengal state and canvases house to house in the South Kolkata constituency. The state goes to the polls on May 13, the final day of the five-phased Indian general elections.
Biswas said he founded the All India Christian Democratic and Backward People's Party in 1977 as a platform for Christians to voice their grievances to the government. He ran for national parliamentary elections in 1980 and 1985, and in state assembly elections five times. He is yet to win.
The former schoolteacher says he does not feel bad about losing because he has been able to let others know that his minority party exists. He says a shortage of funding is one reason for his inability to expand his party across the country.
Biswas says his party has helped the voice of Christians to be heard in elections.
His campaign handbills urge people to love and serve one another as well as the poor. He says his party would fight for justice and secularism, protect weaker sections of society and work hard to solve their problems.
Biswas chose twin candles as his party’s symbol.
"As a registered body, I was given very few choices," he remarked, explaining that he chose the symbol because light has "special significance for Christians."
In India, political candidates choose symbols to represent them on the ballot papers to help illiterate voters.
Biswas said his party supports the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the state as they had not the religious fundamentalism of other faiths to bother Christians.
He said that if he does not win a seat in parliament this time, he will stand in municipal elections next year. “I hope to win support to get a few Christians elected as councilors,” he said.
But not all are happy about Biswas contesting elections in the name of Christianity. Father Victor David of Christ the King parish in the city, says he does not favor any party that makes religion its base.
However, he acknowledged that many Catholics in his parish are happy to have a fellow Catholic contest the election.
The state has 80 million people, 73 percent of them Hindus. Christians are just over 500,000.
Hindu- and Muslim-based political parties have won seats in parliamentary and state elections, and attracted national attention. India has at least six nominally Christian political parties but none has yet won a parliamentary seat.
Mathew Suresh Mitra, a school principal, said that although India has a multi-party democracy, smaller parties have “nowhere near” the support of the few dominant political parties.
“Biswas' party represents the Christians in a small way, which is a consolation,” he said.
Jesuit Father John Felix Raj, principal of Kolkata’s St. Xavier's College, says Biswas is “the only Catholic in the state who started a party of his own, and upholds certain Christian values.”
He “has a tremendous number of contacts, and makes the Christian presence felt in the political arena of the state,” said the priest, adding that he supports Biswas’ efforts.
Source: ucanews.com
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He is the only Catholic running for political office in West Bengal state and canvases house to house in the South Kolkata constituency. The state goes to the polls on May 13, the final day of the five-phased Indian general elections.
Biswas said he founded the All India Christian Democratic and Backward People's Party in 1977 as a platform for Christians to voice their grievances to the government. He ran for national parliamentary elections in 1980 and 1985, and in state assembly elections five times. He is yet to win.
The former schoolteacher says he does not feel bad about losing because he has been able to let others know that his minority party exists. He says a shortage of funding is one reason for his inability to expand his party across the country.
Biswas says his party has helped the voice of Christians to be heard in elections.
His campaign handbills urge people to love and serve one another as well as the poor. He says his party would fight for justice and secularism, protect weaker sections of society and work hard to solve their problems.
Biswas chose twin candles as his party’s symbol.
"As a registered body, I was given very few choices," he remarked, explaining that he chose the symbol because light has "special significance for Christians."
In India, political candidates choose symbols to represent them on the ballot papers to help illiterate voters.
Biswas said his party supports the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the state as they had not the religious fundamentalism of other faiths to bother Christians.
He said that if he does not win a seat in parliament this time, he will stand in municipal elections next year. “I hope to win support to get a few Christians elected as councilors,” he said.
But not all are happy about Biswas contesting elections in the name of Christianity. Father Victor David of Christ the King parish in the city, says he does not favor any party that makes religion its base.
However, he acknowledged that many Catholics in his parish are happy to have a fellow Catholic contest the election.
The state has 80 million people, 73 percent of them Hindus. Christians are just over 500,000.
Hindu- and Muslim-based political parties have won seats in parliamentary and state elections, and attracted national attention. India has at least six nominally Christian political parties but none has yet won a parliamentary seat.
Mathew Suresh Mitra, a school principal, said that although India has a multi-party democracy, smaller parties have “nowhere near” the support of the few dominant political parties.
“Biswas' party represents the Christians in a small way, which is a consolation,” he said.
Jesuit Father John Felix Raj, principal of Kolkata’s St. Xavier's College, says Biswas is “the only Catholic in the state who started a party of his own, and upholds certain Christian values.”
He “has a tremendous number of contacts, and makes the Christian presence felt in the political arena of the state,” said the priest, adding that he supports Biswas’ efforts.
Source: ucanews.com
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