Congress charges BJP govt for destroying churches in Northeast

Dimapur: The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has accused the BJP governments in the Northeast of destroying churches in the region.

Three churches in Manipur – the Evangelical Baptist Convention Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church Manipur and the Catholic Holy Spirit Church – were demolished on April 11 in the presence of heavy security forces, the Communications Department of the Pradesh Congress said in a release on Wednesday.
It asked how many churches in tribal areas have building permits and whether all churches that do not have building permits will be allowed to be demolished.

NPCC said that although one of the destroyed churches in Manipur was built in 1974, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh refused to comment and no leader raised his voice in Parliament or Assembly.
It added that the chief ministers of Christian-majority Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya also remained silent spectators.

Stating that Christians make up 41 percent of Manipur’s population, the Pradesh Congress alleged that the state government has no respect for its citizens.
“BJP seems to have already realized the weakness of Christian members in Parliament and state assemblies,” the NPCC said.

According to him, staying in power and being in the good books of the BJP government has become ‘bigger than their faith’ for Christian legislators.
He stressed that “it is time for Christians to think deeper than just money and power.”

Stating that the issue now is 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 must no longer ignore the threat to our faith and identity,” he added.