SHILLONG: Meghalaya Congress has torn apart the BJP-led NDA Government at the centre over the repeated visa rejections to Christian Missionaries in Meghalaya.
Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Working President, Vincent Pala said that the Central Government rejected the visa of the president of Baptist Word Alliance, Dr Paul Msiza of South Africa who is scheduled to participate in the 150-year celebration of Garo Baptist church in the state.
Pala asserted such rejections had become a common trend in the past three years and the rejection exposed the mindset of the present dispensation, the BJP and their masters in Nagpur who wants to convert the whole country into saffron.
According to Pala, he has taken up the matter about the rejection of the visa for Dr Paul Msiza with the Ministry of External Affairs
“They never the visas of businessman and industrialists from abroad and this is a clear case of discrimination against the Christians and signs of intolerance,” he said, while recalling that the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat earlier had even stooped to the level of ridiculing the much revered St. Mother Teresa.
Meanwhile, later BJP leader and Union Tourism Minister, KJ Alphonse told media persons that the matter was never raised with the senior leaders of the BJP even as he added that it was on Wednesday when he and party leader Nalin Kohli received a message about their rejection.
He said that he took up the matter was taken up the Extern Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and the Ministry has been asked to re-consider the visa.
He also denied the allegations that visas of Christian missionaries are being rejected by the Government saying thousands of visas of people are rejected due to various factors.