Nagaland BJP's Jerusalem tour aid: Shedding anti-Christian tag?



  1. Home 
  2. Opinion 
  3. BJP resorts to sponsorship politics


BJP resorts to sponsorship politics

Camil Parkhe
Saturday, 31 March 2018  goo.gl/ouePn7

Party seeks to shed its anti-Christian tag with sponsorship for tours to Jerusalem.
In keeping with its election promise, the ruling front in Nagaland, comprising the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP, has announced its plans to provide financial aid to Christian devotees to visit the Holy Land of Jerusalem.  
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, also a devout Christian, has said that guidelines will be prepared to enable Christians to visit the Holy Land. He said that his government will partly sponsor the pilgrimage. 
In Nagaland, a front that had a pre-poll alliance has won power with the BJP alone winning 12 seats in the Christian dominated (89 per cent of the population) north eastern state. In its election campaign, the BJP and other parties of the front had promised to provide a subsidy to Christian devotees to visit Jerusalem.
The Nagaland Joint Christian Forum and Nagaland Baptist Churches Council had strongly protested against the poll promises in a secular country. 
The recent poll verdict in the three north eastern states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura has done what was perceived by poll pundits as unimaginable. The BJP in Tripura demolished one of the last few bastions of the Left parties in the parliamentary democratic world. The BJP has also become a part of the ruling group in Nagaland and in Meghalaya - the two states which are dominated by Christians. Tripura also has a large Christian population. The BJP has made inroads in Meghalaya and won impressive seats in Nagaland despite the fact that its anti-Christian stance was highlighted by its rival parties during the poll campaign.
It is true that some prominent local factors have enabled the BJP to achieve this remarkable poll victories. The moot question is: Will these poll verdicts bring perceptible changes in the attitude of Christians in the three states and all over the country towards the BJP/Sangh Parivar and vice versa?
The BJP has secured 12 seats in Nagaland despite the fact that this party has always been accused of being anti-Christian or anti-minorities. During the poll campaign, Nagaland Baptist Church Council had also issued a statement, asking voters not to vote for the BJP due to the party’s anti-Christian stance. The poll verdicts in all the three states clearly says that the BJP’s anti-Christian tag has not deterred Christian voters in reposing their faith in the party.
The Nagaland churches have however asked devotees not to avail the state government aid to visit the Holy Land. This is not the first time that the BJP has won power where Christians are a sizeable population. Under Manohar Parrikar, the BJP has formed a government in Goa more than two times.
The BJP has also managed to keep aside controversial issues of consumption of beef and Ghar Wapsi. With the BJP being a part of the ruling group in these four states with large Christian populations, it is expected that this party and its parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), will not raise these controversial issues all over the country for some time in the future. That will indeed be a positive outcome of the poll verdict in north eastern states.

Tags

Tours Jerusalem Nagaland Bjp Vote Devotees Guidelines Government Pilgrimage Alliance Power Population Election Campaign Campaign Subsidy Church Verdict Meghalaya Tripura World Faith Manohar Parrikar Goa Beef Organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Rss

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dnyanodaya monthly enters 175th year

Image
Dnyanodaya monthly enters 175th year CAMIL PARKHE |  Wednesday, 31 May 2017 AT 11:10 PM IST          goo.gl/t2mMQq    Camil Parkhe ,  Dnyanodaya Pune:  Dnyanodaya monthly, founded and edited by American missionaries for many decades, has earned the distinction of being the longest surviving Marathi periodical. The monthly is celebrating its 175th year here on Saturday, June 3. Dnanodaya fortnightly was founded by the American Marathi Mission’s clergy in Ahmednagar by Rev Henry Balentine, a scholar in Greek, Latin, Sanskrit and Marathi languages, on June 20, 1842. The fortnightly was later converted into a monthly. Presently, it is published from the city and is edited by Ashok Angre. Balentine edited the periodical from 1842 to 1845 and again from 1858 to 1865. The other American missionaries who edited the Marathi periodical for many years included Robert Wilson Hume, Dr Samuel Fairback, Dr Allen Hazen, Charles Park, Ed...
Read more

Shakuntala Paranjape : Crusade of a lifetime

Shakuntala Paranjape :  Crusade of a lifetime Pune Plus The Times of India By Camil Parkhe When the list of recipients of national civilian awards was announced on the eve of Republic Day this year, the inclusion of her name among the Padma Bhushan awardees did not strike a loud note. Ironically, some newspapers in Pune, where she has worked as a lone crusader in the field of family planning, did not have a story on her. She was clubbed together with other eminent local persons who were also honoured with civilian awards. Perhaps there was a reason for this omission. The redoubtable Mrs. Shakuntala Paranjape, has been away from the limelight for more than two decades now. To Shakuntala Paranjape, who turned 85 on January 17, goes the credit of launching a long crusade for popularising family planning during the pre-independent era, when even discussing this issue in public was taboo. Many an eye-brow was raised when this lady, from a well-known and respected fami...
Read more

Fr. Rudolf Schoch. A Jesuit Looks back in satisfaction

Fr. Rudolf Schoch. Looking back in satisfaction Pune Plus, The Times of India (1991) By Camil Parkhe From days in the forties and fifties when he went horseback to visit the Jesuits-run 50 schools in Ahmednagar district to his present retirement days in Pune, it has been a period of great challenge and fulfillment for Fr. Rudolf Schoch. The founder of two reputed schools in state, and school principal for 38 years, Fr. Schoch has set a record of a sorts which may shared by only a few. By a strange twist of history, this Swiss-born Jesuit had to choose India as his Karmabhoomi and later, in a similar manner, education as his mission in life. But Fr. Schoch, now 78, says that he has not regretted the two sudden changes In his career which moulded his life in an unexpected way. As the founder of Loyola High School in Pune and Dnyanamata High School in Sangamner in Ahmednagar district and as an able administrator, Fr. Schoch commands respect in academic circles. But that is ...
Read more