State BJP urges Centre to fix new date for Digi Dhan Mela

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya BJP has urged the Centre to announce a new date for holding the Digital India Day keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the Christians as the scheduled programme clashes with observance of Good Friday.
In a press statement on Wednesday, the State BJP said the decision to hold the culmination programme of the 100th day of Digi Dhan Mela on April 14 was taken earlier as the day is observed as Ambedkar Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
BJP Meghalaya spokesperson Basu Chakraborty said it was sheer coincidence that both Good Friday and Ambedkar Jayanti fall on April 14 this year. A plan had been made last year itself during the demonetisation period to observe April 14 as the culmination of the 100th day of Digi Dhan Mela, he added.
He asserted that there was no intention to create any form of misunderstanding or misconception about scheduling the Digi Dhan Mela on a day which happens to be Good Friday.
Stating that the party holds Good Friday as a religiously solemn day for all Christians irrespective of their denomination, Chakraborty said the state BJP has requested the Centre to change the date of the programme keeping in mind the local religious sentiments. In a related development, JA Lyngdoh, executive member of BJP Meghalaya and president of Catholic Association, Shillong Archdiocese, has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to defer the date of Digital India Day so that it does not hamper the sentiments of the Christian community.
The BJP North Shillong Mandal Committee has also urged the Prime Minister to reschedule the programme after Easter saying that they support Digital India Day but the centre was excluding Christians from the celebration by choosing to organise the programme on Good Friday.