Dalit or Christian? Caught between two identities in Punjab

As per the 2011 Census, Christians number 1.26% of the state's population, and there has been no MLA from the community in the Punjab Assembly in recent times.

“Hallelujah!”, “Bole So Nihal”. Both slogans have often been raised together at gatherings during the ongoing election campaign in Gurdaspur, the district with the largest Christian population in the state. However, acknowledgment at campaigns aside, the Christian community in Punjab, which has a significant presence in pockets and among party rank and file, has again failed to get tickets from any mainstream political party in the state.

As per the 2011 Census, Christians number 1.26% of the state’s population, and there has been no MLA from the community in the Punjab Assembly in recent times.

Christians in Punjab fall into three distinct categories. The first whose ancestors adopted Christianity at the time of the British; the second, generally the most poor and illiterate, who are influenced more by the deras they follow and their gurus; and the third, and the largest group, the Dalits who practise Christianity but have not converted officially.

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No single big leader or church has a sway on the entire community.

Christian leader Rohit Khokhar, a former BSP general secretary who is now in the Aam Adami Party, said almost 98% in the community have a Dalit background. While they may have taken up Christianity, many are not rid of caste, he said. “Caste stays irrespective of whether one’s religion is Sikh or Christian.” Such groups are entitled to reservation, which is one reason why many do not want to officially convert.

Khokhar believes that at the time of voting, what they decide would be simple. “If there is some issue of religious persecution, a person would vote as a Christian. If there is some Dalit rights issue, they may vote as Dalit.”

Roshan Jospeh, who was the Gurdaspur district Congress president till two months ago and is now in the Akali Dal, said the community has been gradually turning away from the Congress. “As chief minister, (Akali Dal veteran) Parkash Singh Badal started celebrating Christmas as a state-level function in 1997,” Joseph said, adding it had gone a long way in cementing the community’s support.

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In another overture towards the community, the Akali government in 2014 appointed Anwar Masih, a loyalist of Bikram Singh Majithia, to the Subordinate Service Selection Board, which does recruitment for the government.

However, in 2020, Masih was booked over recovery of 197 kg heroin from a residential building he owned. And as per Khokhar, Christians now feel betrayed by the Akalis, for letting down one of their own.

Claiming an ‘AAP wave’ in the state, including among Dalits, he said what might cause a small dent is the Congress naming Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab Chief Minister and now its CM face. “It is possible that a share of the Dalit vote, which was all set to go to AAP, may go to the Congress.”

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However, Channi’s rally for the Christian community in Gurdaspur on December 18, 2021, was considered a flop show. Joseph said it was because people were angry over his removal as president of the District Congress Committee.

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Salamat Masih, the Chairman of the Christian Welfare Board, and one of the organisers of a rally held for Channi on December 16, also expressed unhappiness with the Congress. “The Congress had promised a seat to the community before the 2017 elections, but didn’t give any. It is on test in these elections,” Salamat Masih said.

Having failed to get a ticket, some Christian leaders are contesting as Independents. Among them is Domnic Mattu, who is contesting from Dera Baba Nanak.

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Mattu said he had approached both AAP and Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress for a ticket, but was turned away. “When there was not a hope for the party in Majha, AAP had given a ticket to Christian community leader Peter Masih in 2019 from Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency. But in this election, when the party is in a better position, it hasn’t given ticket to any.”

Peter Masih had secured a creditable 27,744 votes against Bollywood star Sunny Deol, fielded by the BJP, and Congress bigwig Sunil Jakhar. Deol had won.

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Sonu Jaffar, contesting from Ajnala as an Independent, said he was also denied a ticket. “There are around 42,000 Christian votes in Ajnala out of a total 1.50 lakh. I had claimed ticket from AAP this time. I expected ticket from the Congress in 2017. It is discrimination against the community that no party gives them a ticket.”

Khokhar said Christians in the state were caught in a vicious circle. For fear of losing reservations, denying them the few opportunities they have, many do not officially register as Christian. “This is why the exact representation of the Christian community doesn’t reflect in government data. It is also the reason parties do not give us tickets,” he said.