Dimapur, September 28 (MExN): The nationwide cleanliness drive, announced by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to be held on Sunday, October 1, continues to evoke sharp reactions from various quarters in the state, although they also welcomed the Nagaland Government’s decision to reschedule the event to September 30.
The announcement was made after an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called for "one hour shramdaan for swachhata" in the run-up to Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.
NPCC: The NDPP-BJP government's move of rescheduling the event in Nagaland is acknowledged, but, the complete lack of outrage from their end is rued, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) said in a statement.
Moreover, the NPCC termed the directive for the cleanliness drive on Sunday, considered a day of rest and worship for Christians, 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 the RSS.”
“It is common sense to deduce that any attempts to disturb the sanctity of the day were clearly not going to sit well with the Christians in the country,” it added.
The NPCC also argued that it cannot be brushed aside the action as “mere case of insensitivity, or one of momentary lapse in judgment” and said that it make a compelling case of “connected chain of premeditated violence against the minorities of the Nation” further citing the declaration of Christmas Day as the "Day of Good Governance.”
“The last few years of Ache Din have been a nightmarishly exacting ordeal for the minority communities in India, having had to face a constant onslaught of hate from both state as well as non-state actors,” the party argued.
Meanwhile, regarding the displeasure over the ‘lack of outrage’ by the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance, the NPCC contended that as a Christian-majority state, the state government had the moral agency and should have taken the lead in protesting against what it termed as a “subjugative 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,” the party added.
Accordingly, it expressed pain over the hurt sentiments of untold Christians across India and outrightly denounced the “oppressive agendas” against the community and also urged all right-thinking citizens of the country to follow suit.
The NPCC further demanded that an apology be tendered to the Christian community by the Prime Minister “in no uncertain terms” and ensured that the divisive endeavor is immediately called off, or at least rescheduled.
NTC: The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) also appreciated the decision of the Nagaland State government to have postponed the cleanliness drive in the State.
“This is a humble beginning of conveying our goodwill message that nothing but mutual trust and respect is the only way to develop confidence-building between the State and the Centre, irrespective of caste, race, and religion,” the council said in a press release.
However, the NTC expressed dismay over the announcement of the Government of India to undertake the drive on a Sunday and noted that the Christian community in Nagaland seriously feels “insulted” as the proposed date falls on a day of worship.
This is not the first instance of discrimination against the Christians in the country in general and the North-East in particular, where Nagaland is no exception to it in the matter of launching government programs coinciding with the Sunday worshiping services, it said.
It also cited the earlier Good Governance Day on December 25 as well as the International Yoga Day, officially launched on a Sunday.
The NTC further pointed out that while Nagaland is predominantly Christian, the State does not fail to give due respect to all forms of religions and duly honours other official holidays such as Durga Puja, Diwali, Guru Nanak Birthday, Janmashtami, Id-ul-Zuha, Holi, Id-ul-Fitr, etc.
On the contrary, however, even the December 25, 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 mainland India, it claimed.
Reciprocation with a gesture of rapport from both the State and the Centre is necessary for peaceful coexistence, it added.
WSBAK: The Western Sümi Baptist Akukuhou Küqhakulu (WSBAK) also expressed dismay over the action and said that while cleanliness is an ideal that everyone must follow daily irrespective of religion, it should not be used as a medium to create differences within the community.
Accordingly, while extending appreciation to the Government of India for any good initiative, the WSBAK also urged the former to stop “communal attitude” and “intentional target against Christian faith and other minority communities” time and again.
The drive should rather be a medium of educating the importance of cleanliness however targeting the religious values per se showing superiority by a community towards other should not be the motive, the WSBAK added in a statement.
The Community/Citizen of India as a whole must learn to live together as fellow-human beings with mutual respect for one another by keeping the fabric of secularism in the country, it added.
The WSBAK calls upon all the Churches under WSBAK to boycott the proposed social work on October 1, and to abstain from the drive as a symbol of resentment against the Government of India for repeated attempt to disrupt Christian faith and practices in the country.
The WSBAK also appealed all frontal organisations and Christian leaders in general to stand together as Christians in defence of their faith and continue to pray for the country to respect and uplift each other irrespective of caste, creed, or religion.
NIPF: While welcoming the Prime Minister of India's call for a nationwide cleanliness drive, the Nagaland Indigenous People's Forum (NIPF) has expressed shock to learn that the day has been fixed on Sunday.
“This call for a cleanliness drive on Sunday has hurt the sentiments of the people of Nagaland in particular and all the Christian communities of the nation in general,” as it is a sacred day for all the Christian communities around the world, it said.
“It is questionable whether this particular day has been chosen intentionally or whether the authority failed to recognize that it is a sacred day for Christians throughout the year,” it added.
However, it also perceived a pattern in this and maintained that the present government at the Centre has, on many occasions, tried to infringe on the sacred days of the Christians, such as Good Friday and Christmas, by trying to impose a new event on such dates or days.
“This attitude is totally uncalled for in a democratic, secular nation,” the forum stated.
The Nagaland Indigenous People's Forum (NIPF) urged the Prime Minister of India to reschedule the nationwide cleanliness drive to a more convenient date for all citizens and to ensure that future national programs are not scheduled on sacred days of any religion.
