Nagaland Baptist Church Council not targeting any political party, says Rev. Keyho

KOHIMA —  Amid the recent statements made by the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) and its Clean Election Movement (CEM) in connection with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections triggering varied reactions, Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho on Friday clarified that it was not intended to target any political party.

Rev. Keyho, who is the general secretary of the NBCC, asserted that the council’s call for a 152-hour prayer chain was solely to facilitate prayer for the upcoming election, but some people have misconstrued it as ‘pro-Congress’. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an event in Kohima, he maintained that the NBCC’s statements were not issued with the intention of favouring any political party and those who perceived it otherwise should provide clarification.

Acknowledging that there are individuals who tend to ‘spin’ the statements in a way that benefits a particular party, Rev. Keyho said the Janata Dal United (JDU) has misinterpreted the CEM’s statement and now the Congress is taking advantage of it.

He said that the 152-hour chain of prayer commenced on Friday and will go on till the polling day, April 19, with an aim to invoke divine intervention and guide the electoral process according to God’s will.

“We will have to do our bit. We have to be responsible. We have to pray for the leadership; we also have to pray for the people who are entering into the election,” Keyho said, while calling upon the electorate to vote with conscience.

Also shedding light on the significance of the number 152, representing the 152 years of Christianity in Nagaland, he said all the 1716 churches under NBCC are expected to participate in the prayer chain.