scorecardresearch
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomePoliticsRipple effect of Haryana, MP? In Nagaland, cow vigilantism, 'minority targeting' are...

Ripple effect of Haryana, MP? In Nagaland, cow vigilantism, ‘minority targeting’ are talk of town

Nagaland, where close to 90% of the population is Christian, goes to polls next week. Residents say their WhatsApp groups are 'flooded with videos of atrocities against Christians'.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Kohima: Nagaland may be the only poll-bound state in the country where the offices of major political parties are hard to spot, even five days before an election. Party offices here are shorn of flags and posters, something that would be unimaginable in the rest of the country.

Assembly elections in the state are due Monday, but any questions on polls get almost the same answer from most people — “I don’t know much.”

But the reticence to engage in conversation disappears whenever the issue of “minority targeting” in the country comes up — from persecution of Christians to alleged cow vigilantism.

With a close to 90 per cent Christian population (according to the 2011 census), there have been no reports of such incidents in the state. But news from the rest of India weighs on their minds. References to the two Haryana men, Nasir and Junaid, killed earlier this month by alleged cow vigilantes on suspicion of being involved in cattle trade, recur in conversations.

Many also talk of the “general mood of hate” and show WhatsApp forwards targeting minorities.

Gai Pui, who runs an outlet of a foreign accessories chain in the Naga Bazzar area of Kohima, said, “I don’t know (about elections). It is very difficult to say because politics is so corrupt… incidents of minorities being targeted affect us, and the government, too, is affected because they (those in the government) are after all our people. We read so much about churches being burnt, windowpanes broken, preachers who go to preach non-Christians being targeted.”

Nagaland, like most of the northeast, is an exception to the BJP’s commitment in the rest of the country to end cow slaughter. Assam brought in a cattle protection law in 2021 under the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government, but in Nagaland, beef is freely sold and consumed. The party is a junior partner in alliance with the National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) for the upcoming Nagaland elections — fighting in only 20 of the 60 assembly seats.

“We do not take political positions, but people from my constituency are bothered and feel bad about incidents like the one in Haryana. We, as Christians, do not react, we do not assume a tit-for-tat policy. But we read so much in the media about what’s happening in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh… just the other day two men were killed in Haryana,” Joseph Thoppil, bishop of the Cathedral Mary Help of Christians in Kohima, told ThePrint.

Thoppil added: “We are not antagonised to any political party and are not saying they are doing this. But when the government keeps silent (on persecution against any community), such elements are encouraged. It hurts when we read about churches being burnt or pastors being attacked.”

According to Joseph, priests in none of the 57 parishes in Nagaland under his church make political points in their sermons. But the issues are discussed at internal meetings and often raised by parishioners in conversation with the priests. Some churches have also been talking about the persecution of Christians at Sunday prayers.

In its prayer appeal on 19 February, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council asked parishioners to “pray so that our members, all over the state, will exercise judiciously their sacred duty and right to vote in the coming general election for the good of the State by choosing leaders who would listen to the people and respond effectively to their anxieties and needs… I pray for the communal forces working against Christians in India that they will be brought to justice”.

The Nagaland Baptist Church Council prayer appeal | By special arrangement
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council prayer appeal | By special arrangement

Thoppil claimed that he was among church leaders invited for an interaction with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Nagaland earlier this week. “I refused. It can be misunderstood… Maybe when he visits some other time,” he said.

According to Imna Zulu Jamir, pastor of the Kohima Ao Baptist Church, there has been a sudden flood of WhatsApp forwards on minority persecution.

“Our WhatsApp groups are flooded with videos of atrocities against Christians. Some of the videos may be old. We are not for any political party, but we keep hearing about more of such incidents in the news, and the government is blind to them,” he said.

Jamir also spoke about an incident in Bengaluru where he claimed to have faced the discrimination firsthand. “I went to speak at a Christmas event. The moment I stood up, a big stone hit me,” he said, asserting that Christians in Nagaland are not blind.

“That is why the silence of those who are responsible to uphold the Constitution is bothering us,” he added.

While the concern of minority persecution is also being raised by political parties like the Congress in an attempt to corner the BJP in Nagaland, senior BJP leaders in the state said the issue wasn’t impacting their image.

“There is no persecution of Christians in Nagaland and the BJP is just a political party that is focusing on developments. We have sensitised our people on that. We don’t talk about religion. We are just like any other political party not in any way worse off than others,” said Sapralu Nyekha, convenor of the BJP’s media cell in Nagaland.


Also Read: All eyes on Kharge after Tharoor’s curveball on prospect of nomination to Congress top body CWC


‘Not easy being a BJP worker’

The ground reality, however, seems somewhat different.

The big hoardings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda in Nagaland and their frequent trips to the poll-bound state, may make one forget that the BJP is a junior partner in the alliance with the NDPP.

But the identification of BJP as a “Hindu” rather than a national party persists in many parts of Nagaland, a senior state leader speaking told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.

“It is not easy being a BJP worker. I am a Protestant and lucky that my church accepted my association with the party. But in many parts, that is not the case for BJP workers. The party is still identified as a ‘Hindu’ party,” said the leader.

The BJP leader added: “In groups like the Chakhesangs and the Angamis (ethnic groups in the state), its (the BJP’s) acceptability is poor. That is why, of the seven constituencies of Angami, we have a candidate in only one of the southern Angami seats,” said the leader. Nadda is scheduled to hold a rally there.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is contesting from the Northern Angami II constituency. “Not even his name or being his ally has made things easier for us in these constituencies,” the leader added.

Congress trying to cash in

Fighting without an ally from 23 seats, the Indian National Congress is a shadow of the party that once governed Nagaland for years. But the issue of minority persecution is something it has been talking about.

At a rally in Dimapur earlier this week, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge made references to the “party that is persecuting Christians everywhere”.

On Wednesday, when Congress leader Shashi Tharoor addressed a Town Hall meeting in the state Congress office, one of the questions was about how the BJP will reconcile its Hindutva ideology in a Christian-majority state.

“You should ask the BJP that question. How does it reconcile Hindutva, which is a part of the RSS constitution, with the idea of majority Christians? With their idea of a Hindu Rashtra? Just the other day two men were killed…it may be a good idea to send cow vigilantes to Nagaland and send them back with a different worldview,” Tharoor had replied.

Other parties, too, are talking about the issue.

The Naga People’s Front (NPF), which is a part of the government, but is contesting the upcoming elections alone, is not happy with the incursion of religion into politics.

“Sometimes to win supporters, parties take the extreme path. But what happens between you and God should remain private. We are liberal people, but when they are arresting pastors, hitting them…people are not happy about it,” said Nico Lhusa, NPF general secretary.

(Edited by Richa Mishra)


Also Read: BJP ‘smelling defeat’ in Tripura, trying to bluff the tribals: CPI(M) leader Jitendra Chaudhury


 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular