Sunday’s cleanliness drive a never ending saga of intolerance & persecution against minorities: NPCC

DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 28: The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has termed the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a nationwide cleanliness programme on Sunday (October 1) and the pursuant directive from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to the States, as yet another violent chapter in the never ending saga of intolerance and persecution against the minorities in India, scripted by the party and the Government of the day, under the mentorship of RSS.
“It is universal knowledge that Christians consider Sunday as a day of rest and worship and it is common sense to deduce that any attempts to disturb the sanctity of the day was clearly not going to sit well with the Christians in the country”, said a NPCC statement, while also demanding that the Prime Minister tender an apology to the Christian community and ensure that such divisive endeavour is immediately called off, or at least rescheduled.
While acknowledging the NDPP-BJP Government’s move of rescheduling the event in Nagaland by preponing it, NPCC said it cannot help but rue at the complete lack of outrage from their end.
“As a Christian majority State, the State Government had the moral agency and should have taken the lead in protesting against this subjucative take of the Central Government. While it can afford to hide behind such soft interventions, it is pertinent to remind itself that millions of Christians across the country are not accorded such luxuries”, it said.
Stating that it is greatly pained to see the hurt sentiments of untold Christian brothers and sisters across India, the statement denounced such oppressive agendas against the Christian community and urged all right thinking citizens of the country to follow suit.
NTC: The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has welcomed the decision of the Nagaland State Government to prepone the Central Fovernment’s proposed massive cleanliness drive across the country on October 1 by a day to September 30.
In a release, NTC said it was dismayed by the announcement of the Government of India calling for a massive cleanliness drive across the country on October 1 as part of Swachhata Pakhwada – Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2023.
“The Christian community in Nagaland seriously feels it insulted as the proposed official scheduled date of 1st October 2023 for massive cleanliness drive falls on Sunday, which is a day of worship for the Christian Community. This is not the first instant that the Hindu dominated Country discriminates the Christians in the country in general and the Northeast in particular where Nagaland is no exception to it in the matter of launching government programmes coinciding with the Sunday worshiping services”, it said.
NTC noted that Nagaland is a Christian dominated State but does not fail to give due respect to all form of religions.
“It duly honours other official holidays such as the Durga Puja, Diwali, Guru Nanak Birthday, Janmashtami, Id-ul-Zuha, Holi, Id-ul-Fitr, etc. On the contrary, however, even the 25th December which is one of the greatest days for the Christians the world over surprisingly is not given due recognition and no general holiday is declared in the mainland India. Due reciprocation with gesticulation of rapport from both the State and the Centre is necessary for a peaceful coexistence”, it added.
NIPF: The Nagaland Indigenous People’s Forum (NIPF) has also denounced the call for cleanliness drive of Sunday, which it said has hurt the sentiment of the people of Nagaland in particular and all the Christian community of the nation in general.
“It is known by all that Sunday is a sacred day for all the Christian community around the world to observe the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Moreover, Sunday is a national holiday throughout the country. It is questionable if this particular day has been chosen intentionally or the authority failed to recognise that it is a sacred day of the Christians throughout the year”, it said in a press release.
The NIPF called upon the Prime Minister of India to pre-pone or postpone the “one hour shramdan for swachhata” for the convenience of all citizens of the country and also such date(s) or day(s) which is sacred to any religion of the country be avoided for any national programmes even in the future.
(Page News Service)