Christians feel sidelined, hopes for representation

Guwahati: As the assembly election approaches with political parties vying for the trust of myriad communities in Assam, the Christian community here expressed anxiety over divisive politics, polarization of voters, a rising debate on nationalism and the lack of political representation of their community in state politics. Comprising 3.73% of Assam's population, the number of Christians in the state is 11,65,867 as per the last census report.
Community members told TOI that they want a fair share in developmental opportunities. Some members feel government beneficiary schemes, meant for all minority communities, are not distributed equally among communities and those which appear more promising as vote banks are favoured. Political parties do not seem to consider the community as a viable vote bank because of their lack of strength in numbers.
"Our political representation is dismal. We just do not get the opportunities we deserve. In addition to this, divisive political gambit is on the rise and we are afraid that Assam might fall prey to it. We are part of the overall Assamese community. We are children of Assam. There is hardly anyone to represent us politically," said Allen Brooks, of the State Minority Commission, and member of the Assam Christian Forum. "We do not want quota. All we want is consensus among political parties to give us fair accommodation," added Brooks.
"We are often overlooked. Look at the tea tribe community. Most of them are practising Christians and among the worst sufferers," said one community member. "We want a fair share in development opportunities. We believe in secularism. We urge political leaders of the state to look into our issues and try to address them," said Aziz-ul-Haque, pastor of the 112-year-old Gauhati Baptist Church.
The historical roots of the Assamese Christian community can be traced back to the arrival of Christian missionaries in Assam in the 1800s. It is widely believed that in 1841, Nedhi Lebi Farwell formed the community after converting to Christianity. He worked with Miles Bronson, an American Baptist missionary, and is credited with the translation of Christian hymns into Assamese. The community spans across the Assamese, Garo, Karbi, tea tribe adivasi, Bodo and other communities.