Senior Congress leader Margaret Alva slammed the Karnataka BJP government’s push for an anti-conversion bill, reminding the party that its elected representatives often approached her with requests for seats in Christian-run educational institutions and yet accused the community of proselytising Hindus.

“I often get requests from BJP MPs and MLAs for seats in our schools and colleges…. Why are they sending their kids to Christian schools if we are out to convert them?” Alva, a former Union minister, asked while addressing a protest against the proposed anti-conversion bill the state government is set to table in the winter session of the Assembly starting December 13.

A few thousand Christians, including representatives of all denominations and hundreds of clergymen and nuns, were present along with the laity at the protest in Bangalore against the bill that chief minister Basavaraj Bommai is bent on tabling in the Assembly.

Alva, one of the most prominent Christian leaders in Karnataka, recalled an incident in the Lok Sabha when L.K. Advani was home minister at a time when Christian missionaries were being attacked by Sangh parivar activists. “When I raised these issues, Advaniji asked me, ‘Alvaji, why are you so angry? You should know I am a product of a Jesuit school in Karachi and I owe my career to the Christian education system’,” she recalled.

“Christian powers ruled India for 200 years. The British, the French, Portuguese and the Dutch were here and after 200 years we are hardly 3 per cent (of the population) in the country. If we had converted (people from other religions), we should be at least 30 per cent,” Alva said, rubbishing Sangh parivar claims that Christian missionaries were engaged in rampant conversions though allurements.

She said many tribals in the northeastern states had embraced Christianity after witnessing the work of the community. Neglected for too long, the tribal people saw what the Christians did for them and hence embraced the faith, Alva noted.

She reminded the BJP government in Karnataka that it wouldn’t be able to finish off the Christians with one bill. “We are not afraid. Christians have grown and thrived around the world on the blood of martyrs,” Alva said.

Many believe that the exploitative caste system had prompted many from the lower rungs of society to convert to Christianity.

The Archbishop of Bangalore, Peter Machado, who led the protest at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral grounds, reminded the BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”, and said Christians were also Indian citizens.

“We are proud citizens of this country. While we don’t want any favours, we want our rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” Machado said to loud applause.

He drew attention to the fact that Christians had been engaged in education, health care and social service for far too long to be considered as a minority anymore.

“We are not a minority since we are serving the majority. Our educational institutions, hospitals and social service serve everyone, and the government of Karnataka should keep this in mind,” Machado said.

He rubbished media reports citing large-scale conversions at Hosadurga taluk in Chitradurga district. “The media has been reporting that 20,000 people have been forcibly converted. This is malicious propaganda since only 45 people in two villages have embraced Christianity, that too on their own,” he said.

C.S. Dwarakanath, former chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, questioned the BJP government on why the Christian population was a mere 1.87 per cent in the state if large-scale conversions were taking place.

“The Christian population in Karnataka was around 3 per cent in 1947. But it was just 1.90 per cent in 2001 and 1.87 per cent in 2011. So where is the conversion happening?” he asked.

“This bill is anti-Constitution, anti-people and anti-national,” said Dwarakanath, who joined the Congress in August.