What Modi's speech means to us, the Christian community

We are very delighted with the speech of Narendra Modi during the function organised by the Christian Syro-Malabar church today to honour the two saints recently baptised by the Pope. It was our expectation from the PM of the country for a long time to make some statements with respect to the recent attacks on Christian minorities. Modi had been silent for so long and now that he has spoken, he has expressed his sentiments aptly. Some of the excerpts from his speech that have touched as a community are:

#1. "Everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice, without coercion or undue influence."

#2. "This principle of equal respect and treatment for all faiths has been a part of India's ethos for thousands of years. And that is how it became integral to the Constitution of India. Our Constitution did not evolve in a vacuum. It has roots in the ancient cultural traditions of India."

#3. "We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this regard."

This is what we longed to hear from the prime minister of this secular nation. As he made references to the Constitution of India, it has delighted our hearts to hear his affirmation to uphold the secular and equal values of the Constitution.

#4. "With this commitment, I appeal to all religious groups to act with restraint, mutual respect, and tolerance in the true spirit of this ancient nation which is manifest in our Constitution and is in line with the Hague Declaration."

The Constitution gives us equal rights to free speech and free practice of one's faith. His speech reiterated how his government will take necessary actions to provide every citizen equality before law.

If his words are taken seriously by all, then we as a nation are certainly on the road to development and progress. In the past, politicians such as Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Sakshi Maharaj have passed statements that were not only unconstitutional but also destructive to the ethos of our secular beliefs. Those sentiments sowed seeds of insecurities among minorities across the country. If such fringe elements could be curtailed and promises made by the PM in his speech at Vigyan Bhawan be delivered, we could be once again put back on the path to stability, peace and harmony among people of all religions.

We thank our PM once again for finally coming out strongly and explaining in clear terms how he respects Constitution and condemns any form of violence against freedom to practice one's own religion.

The prime minister now has the great responsibility to walk the talk; he has to particularly rein in the fringe elements of the Sangh Parivar whose statements on various occasions have embarrassed the government. He has to also check on the members of Parliament within the party who sometimes have adopted a demeaning attitude towards the right wing ideologies.