SHILLONG, Dec 28: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has slammed the National People’s Party (NPP) for failing to take a stand against the recent Assam Police directive seeking information on churches and religious conversions.
TMC’s state vice president George B Lyngdoh said the NPP should question the BJP instead of targeting the TMC’s Meghalaya unit.
“As we were highlighting the Assam church survey order, we saw reports that some NPP leaders had commented that we should not talk about all these orders. In fact, they said we should not bring such communal issues to people’s notice as it is election time,” Lyngdoh said.
He also said, “They are also saying that such letters and orders being given by the Assam administration are not of people’s concerns. We are really surprised that a political party is working hand in glove with the BJP. They are supporting the BJP by not questioning the letter and questioning us instead, as we are raising concerns.”
The TMC leader said the Assam Police’s directives to survey the number of churches and instances of religious conversion in the past six years violated the Constitutional rights of the people.
He said Article 25 of the Constitution gives every person the right to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality, and health.
“We have to question why we, who raised the issues, are being asked to keep quiet. If this is not a people’s issue or a citizen’s concern, then whose concern would it be? As elected members and part of a responsible political party, we will not deter or withdraw. We will keep on highlighting these issues, whether it is election mode or non-election mode. We will keep on fighting for the citizens,” he said.
The senior leader also said that the state BJP’s decision to meet Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the matter was only due to Meghalaya TMC’s repeated calls for accountability.
“Today, we read news reports stating that Meghalaya BJP has sought a meeting with the Assam CM to express their ‘concerns’ over the Assam police’s church survey order. It appears to be a step in the right direction. We are glad to see that this step was taken only after the Meghalaya TMC highlighted the letter and brought it to public notice,” Lyngdoh said, adding that the party will continue to call for accountability from the governments in the state and the Centre.
The HSPDP was also critical of the BJP, saying the saffron party has a hidden agenda of fulfilling its dream of “one nation, one religion and one language” and since it is a democracy, the people have the right to choose but they should weigh their options before voting for any party.
“BJP has its own agenda of divisive politics. People should understand it. We leave it to their wisdom,” said HSPDP general secretary Panbor Ryntathiang.
He said the letter issued in Assam did not come as a surprise since the BJP wanted to drop the word secular from the Constitution despite knowing it well how diverse India is.
The HSPDP leader highlighted the BJP’s attempts to bring a Uniform Civil Code which, he said, is one of the most controversial issues in Indian politics because it is seen by many minorities and opposition parties as a vehicle for Hindu majoritarianism, one that would “demolish minority identities and rights”.
“It is a democracy and people have the right to choose but I would urge the voters to weigh and scale the pros and cons on whether it is good or not to support the BJP,” he said, adding, “In fact, the people should weigh their options before pressing the button of any party.”
