Following the outcome of the administrative elections of the special territory of Delhi, Feb.7, the territory’s archbishop likes the new leader and believes the new government is looking out for the citizens’ best interest.
According to Fides, Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto said, “One may well say that it is a new beginning. A certain ideology has been defeated and we hope that now the wave of violence against churches may cease.”
According to official data, the Hindu Bharatiya Janata nationalist Party, in government at a federal level, has been defeated by the ”Aam Aadmi Party, who gained 63 seats out of 70 in the legislative assembly.
Its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, will be the new prime minister of the territory of Delhi.
“We cherish hopes that the new government can enforce the values enshrined in the Constitution of India and is committed to social and religious harmony, but also for the development of the poorest of the marginalized,” Archbishop Couto said.
He stated that the new leader is “a person I know and like, a credible man and committed to transparency and the common good.”
“We are confident that the new city government will act according to the rule of law and that will work for justice and harmony among the different communities,” said diocesan spokesman, Fr. Savarimuthu Sankar.
Noting the leader’s victory was an unexpected result, Fr. Sankar added, that he and his diocese are convinced that violence in Delhi had an impact on the vote.
He said, “This result proves that the campaign of hatred does not pay and that those who use religion for political purposes is a loser.”
Delhi is the capital territory of India and its second most populous city. The territory has a population of about 11 million and a metropolitan population of some 16.3 million.
