A miracle election ends radical Hindu rule in India

By May 14, 2004

India (MNN) — “We have had one of the greatest events in the history of Indian politics in the last 60 years!” Those are the words of John DeVries with Mission India of Grand Rapids, Michigan, commenting on a miracle election in India that forced BJP, a radical Hindus party, from power.

According to reports, India’s ruling political party has conceded defeat in national elections. Unofficial returns show an upset, with millions of rural poor people abandoning Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (ah-TUL’ bee-HAH’-ree VAHJ’-py-ee) and throwing their support to the Congress party of Sonia Gandhi.

DeVries says the election results were totally unexpected. “What that means is that the BJP Party, which had turned a blind eye to the persecution in India of Christians, now has been replaced by the party of Mahatma Gandhi really, which preached tolerance for all religions and human rights for all religions. It’s an incredible reversal.”

Many had predicted a landslide victory for the ruling party. DeVries says, “We’re just stunned. It’s just totally miraculous and we immediately go to the awesome amount of prayer that has been raised for this election. I think Christians throughout India have been pleading with the Lord for the doors to open back up.”

DeVries also believes the Dalits rejection of Hinduism had much to do with the election. “The Dalits,” says DeVries, “are waking up to the fact that they are under privileged. That this is no longer to be covered up with some religious reason, that they are human beings with equal rights like everybody else, and they said enough is enough.”

Some believe the front runner to be Prime Minister is Congress Party’s Sonya Ghandi. Gandhi is the widow of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi. She was born in Italy and is in line to become India’s first foreign-born prime minister.

Continue to pray for India. DeVries say while the BJP is not in leadership, militants are still active and continue to pose a threat, but he says, “I would certainly expect that within the next 12 months that human right would be guaranteed much more strongly than what they’ve been, but I would not expect overnight that suddenly thing will be totally different.”

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