Dimapur April 11 (MExN): The North East Students Organization (NESO) taking strong exception at the passing of the Anti-Conversion Bill by the Rajasthan government April 7 has reacted sharply rejecting the said bill as an ordinance to be used to target and harass the Christian minority in the country. In this regard, the NESO called upon all the Chief Ministers of the North East states to collectively resist the bill so as to ensure that religious discrimination does not take place in any part of the country.
An irate NESO while terming the anti-conversion bill as “ironic and riddled with ill-motive” stated it was intended to curb the very spirit of freedom of religion enshrined in the constitution of India. “It can be, without any doubt , looked upon as a direct assault on the secularism of India, a symbol of unity in diversity of religion, that has been in vogue over a half century” Dr Samujjal Bhattacharjya, NESO Chairman and NSN Lotha, General Secretary stated in a joint statement.
The powerful organization reminded that India has been able to house multiple-ethnic diversity of cultures and religion strongly and for which it has been made into an “indomitable” country symbolic of democracy and an idol for the rest of the countries where religious freedom is a far cry.
“Needless to say, the bill is targeted (at) the Christian religious minorities who have over the past many years brought culture of social service to the downtrodden. The bill is intended to harass Christian minorities” the NESO made clear.
The NESO made a strong appeal to the President of India for intervention into the said bill as per the provisions of secularism embodied in the constitution of India. The influential students’ organization also asked all the state chief ministers in the North East to unite in solidarity against the said Anti-Conversion bill of Rajasthan to ensure that religious discrimination does not take place in any parts of the country.
