SHILLONG: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has protested against the Centre for scheduling Digital India Day on Good Friday.
“I will register protest in a letter to the Prime Minister in a frank and blunt manner,” Sangma told reporters on Tuesday.
He said the chief secretary has already taken up the matter with the Union Cabinet secretary about the displeasure in Meghalaya.
Sangma said it is a matter of concern that the Centre fixed Good Friday to hold the Digital India Day function and asserted that Meghalaya will not participate.
“We have to be candid in asking what is their agenda and it is the complete decimation of the secular fabric,” Sangma said, adding that the country is facing challenging circumstances.
The chief minister said that every civilised nation demonstrated the capacity to respect the minorities in the nation, but the Centre is acting contrary to this principle and ideology.
Sangma also criticised the BJP-led Government at the Centre for the selective identification of the days like Christmas for Good Governance Day and Good Friday as Digital India Day.
“Are these selective identification of the days is to marginalise the minorities in complete disregard to their personal liberty,” he asked.
The chief minister wondered as to whether there was no holiday list with the Centre which is fixed based on cultural and religious functions of the various communities in the country.
“The Centre should understand the sensitivity of the minorities with special reference to the sentiments of people of the Northeast. We have to be frank and blunt against these unforeseen problems which will affect the co existence of people and it will lead to seeds of hatred to germinate and flourish”, he said.
The chief minister also said that people should be aware of fringe elements floating trial balloons like who will be the next president of India (RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat) which are of dangerous in nature and people should be blunt and protest against these designs.
To a question on the comments of the BJP on cow slaughter, the chief minister said that the country has been built revolving around both social and secular fabric and this should not be disturbed.
Appeal to political parties
“We have a vibrant democracy and preamble of the Constitution is indicative of this. I appeal to all the political parties of the region to be alert and fight against the divisive agenda. I am also tempted to suggest that there are some parties in the State which desire to have alliance with like-minded parties and at the same time speaking against ban on cow slaughter,” Sangma said.
Speaking specifically, the chief minister wanted to know whether UDP is subscribing to the ideology of BJP as the party often speaks about aligning with like-minded entities like the saffron party.
Revealing the contradiction in the UDP, the chief minister asked why the party is lying to the people of the State.
