HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, April 12: The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) accused the BJP governments in the northeast of destroying churches in the region.
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The communications department of the Pradesh Congress, in a release, on Wednesday said three churches – Evangelical Baptist Convention Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church Manipur and Catholic Holy Spirit Church – in Manipur were demolished in the presence of heavy security forces on April 11. It also said a church was destroyed in Assam recently.
It asked how many churches in the tribal areas have construction permits and whether all the churches that do not have construction permits be allowed to be destroyed.
The NPCC said though one of the destroyed churches in Manipur was constructed in 1974, Manipur chief minister Biren Singh refused to comment and no leaders raised their voice in the Parliament or assembly. It added that chief ministers of Christian-dominated Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya also remained silent spectators.
Pointing out that the Christian population in Manipur stood at 41%, the Pradesh Congress alleged that the state government has no respect for its citizens.
The NPCC said: “It looks like the BJP has already assessed the weakness of Christian members in the Parliament and state assemblies.”
According to it, remaining in power and in the good books of the BJP government has become “greater than their faith” for the Christian legislators. “Time has come for the Christians to think deeper than just money and power,” it stressed.
Saying that the issue is now the survival of faith and identity, the NPCC said that north and west India vote for Hindu nationalism but others vote for their pride and identity.
“The Northeast should no longer ignore the threat to our faith and identity,” it added.
