KOHIMA: The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), an influential religious body in the state, has refused the state Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) offer to include church compounds in its upcoming cleanliness drive on May 11.
In a strong-worded statement issued on Tuesday, the NBCC conveyed its gratitude for the offer while firmly declining it, asking the Saffron party to help persecuted churches in other parts of India instead.
“Christian worship and our pastors and priests are beaten, tortured and imprisoned giving a sense of insecurity in our country. Even our Christian symbols were the target not to speak of the demolition of our sacred worship places… While these things are happening right under the nose of the authority, it would do more harm to a political party whose agenda is to supress the minority religious and social groups in the country,” the statement read.
The response comes in the wake of directives issued by Nagaland BJP chief Benjamin Yepthomi, instructing party members to conduct cleanliness drives, encompassing church compounds, across the state’s 60 mandals.
“The Church has written much on this subject; thus, we do not need to go further. We can only remind political parties, specifically the BJP in Nagaland, to exercise caution when issuing directions… Stay as a political party, and leave the church to run whatever they see fit within their compounds,” the statement read.
The NBCC also clarified that its decision was not politically motivated but rather aimed at maintaining the autonomy and sanctity of religious institutions.
“”This act will undoubtedly give reassurance to people whose churches and institutions are constantly targeted. Their (BJP) presence will undoubtedly convey the message that we are here to protect and encourage one another,” the statement further added.
Furthermore, the NBCC raised concerns regarding the BJP’s proposal to observe the death anniversary of Syama Prasad Mukherjee on June 23, asserting that such commemorations could potentially infringe upon the religious beliefs of the Christian-majority population.
“We will keep silent on the death anniversary of your leader. The church is not accustomed to observing death anniversary except the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ… It would do much good to the community if political parties do not dictate the residents what to observe or when to do things…,” it read.
