General elections for the Central Indian Government are due to be held in April and May of this year. Because of the size of the country and the huge number of voters (814.5 million), elections are rotated through the 35 States and Union Territories over a period beginning on 7 April and finishing on 12 May 2014. The election in Tamil Nadu State, where our AC ministries are based, is scheduled for April 24th.
India has been governed by a Congress Party led coalition since 2004. Prior to 2004 the government was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) whose policies are a mixture of hardline Hindutva and Hindu fundamentalism. It is generally acknowledged that the BJP is the political arm of the RSS which is a radical, nationalist organisation whose activities often border on terrorism and which is strongly anti-Muslim and anti-Christian and fanatically pro-Hindu.
YJM Mission Manager Immanuel is of the opinion that present indications are that it seems very likely that the BJP could be elected to power when these elections have been completed and that that will probably bring significant problems for Christians and Christian ministry, as well as Muslims and those of other faiths in India. It was the BJP government which introduced Anti-Conversion laws in many States of India during their last 5 year term of office which ended in 2004, and these laws brought great difficulty and persecution for Christians and particularly Christian pastors and workers in many States. Subsequent to 2004 the laws were repealed in some States but have been left on the statute books in many States but have not been enforced during the 10 year period of the Congress led governments.
Please pray regularly that it may be the Lord’s will that the BJP not be elected to lead a coalition to govern the country in the forthcoming elections and that a more moderate coalition led by the Congress Party may be elected.
(Ernie Schache)
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