BJP offers to send Christians on Jerusalem trip, if elected to power in Nagaland; The BJP is contesting the election as an ally of the regional party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party.
Loud and vociferous when it comes to the ‘appeasement of Muslims’ and even violently attacking Christians on false or fabricated charges of ‘conversion, the rather desperate and unscrupulous, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has made a promise to send a group of Christians on a trip to Jerusalem, if the party is elected to power in Nagaland. About a month ago, it had cancelled the government subsidy for Haj pilgrimage and tried to make ‘Hindutva capital’ of the move.
“We plan to send groups of senior Christian citizens to Jerusalem if our party comes to power,” Nagaland BJP spokesperson James Vizo told The Hindu. Vizo told the daily that the pilgrimage for our senior citizens could be free, but that needs to be worked out later.
The BJP is contesting the election as an ally of the regional party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party. Only last month, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said that Haj subsidy fund will instead be spent on the empowerment of Muslims. “This is part of our policy to empower minorities with dignity and without appeasement.”
Meanwhile, the Congress has released its manifesto for February 27 Nagaland assembly elections promising that it would make an endeavour to solve the political problem of the state if voted to power.
The Congress is fielding 19 candidates in the ensuing election in Nagaland out of a total of 60 seats. On February 12, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju had said that the BJP-NDPP coalition will not come in the way of “smooth implementation” of the proposed Naga accord, if voted to power in Nagaland.