Guwahati: The Manipur government has decided to exempt government employees from working on 31 March, which is Easter Sunday, after an earlier order cancelling the public holiday received severe backlash from the state’s sizeable Christian population.
On Thursday, the state government revoked its 27 March order that scrapped Easter weekend for all government employees — to ensure “smooth functioning of offices in the last three days of the financial year”.
The financial year 2023-24 has three consecutive non-working days – Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday – which are recognised as bank and public holidays across the country.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at the Calvary.
In Thursday’s order, Deputy Secretary to the Government of Manipur Angom Heera Singh said only 30 March, Saturday, would now be a working day for all government offices, including public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies.
The cancellation of the weekend holidays had come as a rude shock to the state’s Christians, who account for 41.2 percent of the state’s population, according to the 2011 Census.
The ethnic conflict in the state for nearly a year now has created a divide and loss of trust between the two warring communities – the ethnic Kuki-Zo tribals and non-tribal Meiteis. It has also prompted people to view such announcements with suspicion.
Soon after the order was passed Wednesday, many from the Kuki-Zo community took to social media to voice their anger against what they alleged was the government’s partisan attitude. Even political leaders joined in, expressing concern over hurting Christian sentiments.
Earlier Thursday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he was shocked to learn of the Manipur government’s decision, terming it “surprising and worrying”.
“…It has come in the aftermath of a devastating year in Manipur where violence happened. Amid all this, to hurt sentiment of one community is a matter of grave concern. GoI should intervene and get this withdrawn,” Tharoor told reporters.
BJP MP Prakash Javadekar countered the Congress’s claims accusing its leaders of “raking up falsehood”, and said the Manipur government had already issued the notification declaring holidays for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Manipur Government has issued notification that tomorrow 29th Good Friday and 31 Easter Sunday will be holiday.
Congress has no issues. Therefore they are raking up falsehood..
Congress and communist should now tell when they will condemn Hamas attack and terror attack in…
— Prakash Javadekar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@PrakashJavdekar) March 28, 2024
Condemnation poured in from several quarters, including from the Poumai Naga Tsiidoumai Me (PNTM) unit in Manipur, which urged the government to withdraw the order, calling it “biased”.
The Tamenglong Baptist Church, the Senapati District Catholic Union, the Mao Baptist Churches Association, the Tangkhul Naga Baptist Convention among others also criticised the 27 March order.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Sri Lanka put on high alert; security beefed up around churches having Good Friday service: Police
This issue is resonating in Kerala where the ruling party has been working industriously to make inroads.