Kohima: Setting off political ripples ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, an influential religious body in the Christian majority state, has accused the BJP-led Centre of “actively promoting right wing extremism”, while dismissing as “illogical” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim that the Centre’s timely intervention improved the situation in Manipur.
The church body’s attack on the BJP came in the form of an “appeal to voters” in Nagaland, where the ruling coalition People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) has the BJP as one of the constituents. In the Lok Sabha elections, the PDA has fielded a Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader as its joint candidate against the Congress.
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council’s (NBCC’s) statement, issued Thursday, comes at a time when Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has been telling the people during the course of campaigning that “we will never compromise our faith and identity as Christians”, betraying a worry that the BJP’s presence as an ally may cost the ruling coalition in the elections which will be held in Nagaland on 19 April.
In the appeal, the NBCC, which has its headquarters in Kohima, said that it was imperative for Nagas to do “what is right in these unprecedented times” and ensure through their votes that the “right government is formed”. BJP president JP Nadda is scheduled to visit Dimapur Saturday to address a poll rally.
“The ideology of Hindu majoritarianism and religious vigilantism is on the rise, as Hindu extremists systematically and deliberately target Muslims, Christians, Dalits and minorities. The present central government has adopted Hindutva as its core ideology and in power, has endorsed and actively promoted right-wing extremism. This is an existential concern for all minorities including Christians, the tribals in north east and Nagas,” states the appeal issued by Villo Naleo, the convener of the NBCC’s Clean Election Movement initiative.
When contacted, NBCC general secretary Reverend Zelhou Keyho told ThePrint that the appeal was the official position of the church body, described by one Nagaland cabinet minister as the “mother of all church associations” in the state. Naleo, on whose name the appeal was issued, told ThePrint that the church does not want to play a partisan role, but “people in power need to own up responsibility”.
“The NDPP cannot brush off criticism coming its way saying it stands for pluralistic values. It is in an alliance with the BJP. Also, the two parties do not seem to be on the same page on the questions of clean elections. Why else will the deputy CM Y Patton, who is from the BJP, encourage unethical voting practices while addressing people?” Naleo said.
Patton has received a notice from the Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer for reportedly asking, while addressing an election meeting at Wokha district on 5 April, village level functionaries and polling agents to cast multiple votes overriding the rights of common people.
Speaking to ThePrint, Nagaland Power Minister K.G. Kenye, who was the state’s Rajya Sabha MP in 2016-22, questioned the timing of the NBCC’s statement, saying the religious body “should not have made the statement during the peak of the election campaign”.
Also Read: Amid The Kerala Story row, church under Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese screens documentary on Manipur
Kejriwal arrest to FCRA
The NBCC appeal also stood out for the range of concerns — other than religious persecution that it also highlighted in statements in the past — it flagged, from the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate to the revocation of FCRA licenses of non-governmental organisations.
“The civic spaces in India are shrinking. This is an unimaginable reality we must challenge consciously with courage and active engagement. The conflict in Manipur happened next door to us, and we have witnessed firsthand the complete absence of interest, let alone political will of the central government, in bringing peace in NE India, especially in the tribal belts.
“The recent arrest of Arwind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is nothing less than a political harassment. It simply shows that if you fall in line with the present government, you are exempted, but if you oppose it, the ED is unleashed against individuals and lands up in jail,” said the NBCC appeal.
It also named Modi, terming his statement, given during an interview to The Assam Tribune, that the Centre’s timely intervention helped improve the situation in strife-torn Manipur, as “illogical”. It also amounts to “undermining” the suffering of the people of Manipur, it said.
In its bid to gain a toehold in the Northeast and even Kerala, where Christians have a large presence, the BJP, led by Modi, has been making outreach to the community through various means.
Last Christmas, Modi had hosted a delegation of the community’s prominent faces and clerics at his residence.
He had then said that the “the Holy Pope’s message on poverty eradication resonates with the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas”. In October 2021, Modi had met Pope Francis in Vatican City.
According to the 2011 census, 87.93 percent of Nagaland’s population is Christian, the highest among all states in India. An overwhelming majority of them are Baptists, an NBCC official said.
The NBCC appeal also touched upon the extension of the Disturbed Areas Act in Nagaland, terming it as a “continual expression of India’s bigoted political will in Nagaland”.
“India is at the crossroads and what will decide the course of India’s future at this critical juncture is by voting for the right person and party. It is a requisite for us to take a stand and act. It is our duty as citizens to take a stand by showing our displeasure against any corrupted government and institutions that are inciting riots and vandalism across the country,” it said.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)