On eve of Republic Day, my two cents regarding the highest constitutional office in India by Barendra Kumar
The office of the President was created when India became a republic on 26 January 1950, when the constitution came into force. The President is the highest constitutional office in India and Vice-President being the holder of the second highest constitutional office. Later this year the 2022 Indian presidential elections will be held to elect the 15th President and 14th Vice-President of India.
With due submission, I beg to state that Pluralism is the keystone of Indian culture and religious tolerance is the bedrock of Indian secularism. In a secular country like India, equal opportunities are provided to every citizen in the nation building process. Since India became a republic in 1950, we have had 14 Presidents & 13 Vice-Presidents. From the minority communities, 4 Muslim candidates have been President & 3 have been Vice-Presidents. India has also had 1 Sikh President. But till date there has not been a single Christian in the post of President or Vice-President in India.
As we celebrate the Republic Day to mark the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect, we can take a look at the luminaries from the Indian Christian community who played a leading role in the framing of the country’s constitution. Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, a Bengali Christian was the Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution of India. Apart from being the Vice- President of the Constituent Assembly, he was also the Chairman of the minorities committee of the Constituent Assembly. He was the only candidate to be unanimously nominated for Vice-Presidency of the Constituent Assembly.
Another Christian, J.J.M Nichols Roy was one of the architects of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution which resulted in the establishment of the Autonomous District Councils. Frank Antony was a part of the Advisory Committee and Sub Committee on Minorities. He presented the Anglo-Indian case to Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, and they agreed to make special provisions for the Anglo-Indians in the Indian Constitution.
Jerome D’Souza ensured the rights of the minorities (especially of worship and education) were fully protected by the proposed text and the right to practice and propagate one’s religion were included in the constitution as fundamental rights of all citizens of India. As a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, Tribal Christian, Jaipal Singh Munda, campaigned for the rights of the whole tribal community. He was a part of 3 Committees including Advisory Committee.
Besides the aforementioned luminaries, John Mathai, S. H. Prater, T. J. M. Wilson, Joseph Alban D’Souza, P. T. Chacko et al were some of the other members of the Constituent Assembly who belonged to the Indian Christian community.
As per the official 2011 census report Christians constitute 2.3% of Indian Population. Several North-Eastern states like Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland & Arunachal Pradesh have a clear-cut Christian majority while Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu & Manipur are also home to a considerably large Christian population where the Christian voters play a decisive factor in Government formation.
To be fair & square, if we reflect the making of modern India, the Indian Christians have worked fingers to the bone for the nation, thus making momentous contributions in the fields of educational services, medical services, administrative & legal services, social services among others. Even during epidemics and natural disasters, when the country is at sixes and sevens, several Christian organizations have readily put forward a helping hand towards the victims.
There are several candidates from the Indian Christian community, worthy of occupying the highest (President) and second highest constitutional office in India (Vice-President). Political stalwarts from the Tribal Christian community of North East like George Gilbert Swell and P.A. Sangma had the support of BJP and their allies when they contested the presidential polls in 1992 and 2012, respectively.
In 1992 Presidential elections, George Gilbert Swell contested with support from the BJP and National Front. Prior to 2002 the BJP led NDA had first proposed the name of P.C. Alexander for Presidency of India, but the TDP had not agreed to Alexander’s candidature in spite of repeated requests from the BJP led NDA. In 2012 Presidential elections, P. A. Sangma had filed his nomination papers with the support of the Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik & Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalitha. Sangma was BJP’s candidate for 2012 Presidential Elections. In 2017 it was reported in the media that Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) contemplated backing S.C. Jamir, a Tribal Christian from Nagaland and the then Odisha governor, as its Vice Presidential nominee. In 2012 a Tamil Nadu-based political party (Samuga Samatuva Padai) had proposed the name of M. M. Rajendran, former governor of Odisha, as a Christian President of India.
From the induction of Union Ministers during the Cabinet reshuffle in July 2021, it was clear that the focus has been on four states i.e.- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha & West Bengal. There have been 2 Presidents from Uttar Pradesh including the incumbent President. The previous President of India was from West Bengal while Shankar Dayal Sharma, the Former President & Vice-President was from Madhya Pradesh. But till date, there has never been a single President or Vice-President from Odisha, having an Odia origin.
The aforementioned demographic ratio & facts warrant the attention for deserving Indian Christian candidates to be provided an opportunity to yield the nation their best services and play an active role in serving the nation by navigating in the direction of holistic development in concurrence with the Indian Constitutional values.
India needs a non-political, common and a low-profile person at the top post as he/she would not be biased toward any political party. Although the post of a president is a ceremonial one, a president or vice-president from the Christian minority will work on the minds of people. It will definitely impact the people, especially the second largest minorities, in terms of feelings, emotions, and a sense of belongingness.
(The Writer Barendra Kumar, served as Editor-in-Chief of Trailblazer, a monthly motivational magazine and is a Member of Indian Speakers Bureau. He is the author of bestseller “CAN is the Word of Power”, a book which has been eulogized by Former President APJ Abdul Kalam. A Motivational Speaker, columnist, panellist, Career Consultant, Barendra Kumar’s upcoming books include “Odia Christian Luminaries” and “Dare To Dream”)
by Barendra Kumar
