In an apparent case of BJP making amends on behalf of MP Gopal Shetty’s remarks against Christians based in India earlier in July where he claimed that they were ‘angrez’ who neither cared for nor participated in the struggle for Independence.
BJP MLA Ameet Satam from Andheri West went ahead and put up a demand in the Legislative Assembly that the state government should construct an East Indian Bhavan for the community which happens to be a long-pending demand. The demand also included that the Bhavan should be named after Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista, a freedom fighter who was closely associated with Lokmanya Tilak and the Home Rule movement and was elected as the first Indian-origin mayor of Bombay in 1925.
Satam pushed through this demand in the assembly on July 20, the last day of the monsoon session. “Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista was Tilak’s close associate and played a big role in the freedom movement. His contribution must be recognised and the East Indian community must also be given credit. So, I demanded that an East Indian Bhavan be constructed and named after Joseph Kaka Baptista,” he informed the assembly.
Previously in a video clip that went viral on social media, BJP MP Gopal Shetty had said, “Christians were angrez (British). They were not part of the [freedom] struggle. Members of both the communities fought this battle together as Hindustanis (Indians), not as Hindus or Muslims.”
Shetty clarified later that his staement had been misrepresented and that he did not mean to discrimate against anyone while also offering to resign in the wake of the controversy.
Satam denied any connection of his demand with Shetty’s comments and the controversy that further ensued. Yet, other BJP leaders said that Shetty’s remarks had created an atmosphere of mistrust amongst the Christian community with regards to the party and they will make amends.
Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) was one of the first organizations to demand a centre for East Indians and has thus welcomed the move. “The Kaka Baptista Bhavan project was aimed at providing a centre for the East Indian community, one of the oldest communities of the city. It has got a shot in the arm with legislator Ameet Satam making a strong demand for it in the assembly,” Gleason Barretto, founder-trustee, MGP, reported to the Mumbai Mirror.
He also asserted that Shetty comments had “upset” the Christian community. “This demand (for an East Indian Bhavan) has made the community happy. But it should be taken to its logical end and must not remain as a demand.”
Gordon D’Souza of Bombay Catholic Sabha too said that the long pending demand would be supported by the community. “If any elected representative is pushing for it in the assembly, it’s a welcome move and the community should be happy. Even if the BJP is taking it up, it’s a good thing. We will support the demand.”
An BJP functionary informed that the Catholic community is ‘crucial to the party’s political equations’. “This is especially true in Mumbai, where the community is influential in many constituencies. It plays a decisive role and had backed the BJP in 2014. So, we are reaching out to the community. Many meetings with community leaders are already underway and we are getting a good response from them.”
The functionary also added that a series of meetings with Catholic community leaders has also been lined up for upcoming weeks.
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