The Mother Hen Syndrome

Of all my farm animals, I guess chickens is my favorite. The last thing you would want to do is to threaten chicks in front of mother hen. She would get vocal and we can almost hear her saying , “Hey Backoff, You can’t touch MY babies!” A mother hen will do everything in her power to protect her chicks. It’s her instinct. Other funny thing, is how the chicks run to mother when they get threatened. They would hide under her wings.

Last few months, I read several news articles which reminded me of this situation. I quote couple of them.

Sonia Gandhi, denounce India’s anti-conversion laws (Sept, 2006)
Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India’s Congress party, has condemned the anti-conversion laws enacted in several Indian states, the AsiaNews service reports. Gandhi noted that the laws imposing new restrictions on religious conversions have been enacted “by the state legislatures where the Congress is in opposition.” The bills have been passed by legislative bodies controlled by the Hindu-nationalist BJP Party. “Congress Party has opposed this strong in the assembly and through demonstrations,” Gandhi added.

Church leaders meet Sonia Gandhi (Sept, 2006)
A delegation of Church leaders from Kerala on Tuesday met Congress president and United Progress Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and submitted a memorandum against the new education law passed by the state government.
The four-member delegation of senior Church leaders from Kerala included Thrissur Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman and Inter-Church Council for Education secretary Father Philip Najralackatt.
They conveyed to Sonia Gandhi that the Professional Colleges Act enacted by the Communist Marxist Party-Marxists (CPI-M)-led government in Kerala is “anti-minority” and is meant to stall the education services that the Church has been rendering in the state for decades.

Disappointed Christian leaders write to Sonia (March, 2007)
Several Christian clerics, heads of Christian organisations and even the Vice-Chairman of a State Minorities Commission have written to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the anti-conversion Freedom of Religion Act 2006 passed by Himachal Pradesh Assembly. The law passed by the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, and given his assent by the Governor on February 10, prevents conversion by coercion or allurement — by “inducement direct or indirect”, something already defined as illegal by the law of the land.
In a strongly-worded paragraph in his letter to Sonia, secretary of All-India Christian Council Sam Paul has requested the Congress president to “constitute an inquiry against the Himachal Pradesh chief minister for anti-party activities and set the record straight by repealing this anti-human rights law of the Anti-Conversion Bill.” (“Tone of the letter makes me wonder who is running the government“)

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