Flays ‘complicity’ of NPF; demands resignation of BJP legislators
Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) strongly condemned the BJP-led government for denying an entry visa to Rev. Franklin Graham, thus blocking his much-anticipated visit to Nagaland.
Communication department of NPCC criticized the Centre’s refusal to grant a visa to Rev. Franklin Graham, calling it discriminatory and an assault on constitutional freedom of faith.
NPCC said Nagas, who had eagerly prepared to welcome the son of the renowned Rev. Billy Graham, feel deeply hurt by what it termed as an “arbitrary decision from New Delhi”. The party alleged the cancellation reflected the BJP-RSS regime’s systematic and intolerant approach toward Christians and other religious minorities. It also described the visa bar on Rev. Franklin as an affront to the unique identity and deeply rooted Christian faith of the Naga people.
NPCC also held Naga People’s Front (NPF), a partner in the ruling coalition in both the state and Centre, equally accountable for the situation. It said NPF’s silence and inaction reveal political opportunism and subservience to its Delhi allies.
As part of the North-East Democratic Alliance and the state government, the NPF had both the platform and moral responsibility to intervene and help secure the visa. Its failure, NPCC said, shows a willingness to compromise Naga sentiments for political survival. Hitting out, NPCC further claimed that BJP MLAs from Nagaland have forfeited their moral right to represent the people. It said the inability of the MLAs to convince the Centre to reverse the visa denial, only showed their loyalty to an anti-minority agenda rather than to Nagaland’s Christian community. NPCC dared that if the BJP MLAs have any integrity or respect for their constituents’ faith, then they should resign immediately as their continued presence in the Assembly is an affront to the people of the state.
NPCC said the episode showed that NPF and BJP legislators are “mere puppets,” unwilling to defend the rights and faith of the people they represent, and therefore complicit in the insult to the Naga community.
NPCC demanded a full and transparent explanation from the Centre for the visa denial and urged the people of Nagaland to recognise what it called the hypocrisy of both parties; claiming NPF and BJP have failed to safeguard the state’s interests and uphold its Christian faith.
Further, NPCC said the episode proves that NPF and BJP legislators were “mere puppets,” failing to defend the rights and faith of Nagas. It demanded a transparent explanation from the Centre for the visa denial and urged citizens to see what it termed the parties’ hypocrisy in failing to protect the state’s interests and Christian identity.