Dimapur, November 28 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has issued a condemnation against the Government of India over the denial of an entry visa to Rev Franklin Graham, stating that the action was discriminatory and an assault on religious freedom.
In a statement, the NPCC said the refusal of visa to the evangelist has “deeply hurt and insulted” Christians in Nagaland who were preparing to receive “the message from the son of the legendary Rev. Billy Graham.” Describing the move as “a blatant discrimination against the Christian community and a direct assault on the freedom of faith that is enshrined in the Indian Constitution,” the NPCC held that the cancellation was reflective of “the systematic and intolerant policies of the BJP-RSS regime, which seeks to suppress and marginalize the Christian community and other religious minorities across the country.”
The NPCC further criticised the Naga People’s Front (NPF), calling the party “equally responsible for this mess.” According to the statement, the NPF’s “deafening silence and complete inaction” demonstrated political opportunism and “utter subservience” within the ruling coalition. “As allies in the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and the state government, the NPF had both the platform and the moral responsibility to intervene and ensure that the visa is granted. Their failure to do so proves that they are willing to compromise the sentiments of the Naga people for their own political survival,” it said.
The NPCC also demanded the resignation of BJP legislators from Nagaland, stating that they have “lost the moral right to represent the people in the Assembly.” The committee asserted: “By failing to prevail upon their own central government to reverse this discriminatory decision, they have demonstrated that their loyalty lies with the anti-minority agenda of the BJP and not with the Christian community of Nagaland. If they possess any shred of integrity and respect for the faith of their constituents, they must tender their resignations immediately.”
The statement said that both the NPF and the BJP MLAs “are mere puppets, unable and unwilling to stand up for the rights and faith of the people they claim to represent,” adding that “they are complicit in this insult to the Naga community.”
Demanding a “full and transparent explanation” from the Government of India for the visa denial, the NPCC urged citizens to “see through the hypocrisy of the NPF and the BJP, who stand exposed for their inability to protect the interests and the faith of the state.”
The NPCC affirmed its solidarity with the Christian community in Nagaland and reiterated that the Indian National Congress would “continue to fight for the preservation of the secular fabric of our nation and the protection of the rights of all religious communities.”
