NPCC, NSF oppose declaration of December 25 as ‘working day’

EMN
Dimapur, December 23

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) and Naga Students Federation (NSF) have expressed serious concern over the attempt of the BJP government at the Centre to reduce the significance of Christmas day by chalking out various programmes for December 25 and making it a working day. Media Cell of NPCC, in a release today, said the BJP government’s attempt to make December 25 is a direct attack on the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution.
“The BJP government declaring December 25 as “Good Governance Day,” PMO directing that Christmas day be a working day, Ministry of HRD issuing circular for educational institutions to organise various academic programmes on this auspicious day for Christian believers, have once again exposed the true communal credentials of the BJP government that is at the mercy of the RSS and its affiliates of religious extremists,” the NPCC said.
It said by heating up communal temperatures across the country, the BJP-RSS combine has only exposed its intolerance for religious minorities who are now being made to feel insecure and unwanted in their own country. The NPCC, therefore. appealed to all right thinking citizens to condemn this religious sacrilege undertaken by the BJP-RSS combine terming it as no different from “Taliban Regime”. The Congress felt that this move has enough potential to set the country on the road to destruction much to the delight of our neighbouring adversaries.
The NSF expressed great shock and disappointment on the proposal of the Central government to observe Christmas day as ‘working day’ for the government establishments as well as educational institutions throughout India.
In a release today, NSF president Tongpang Ozukum and general secretary Esther Rhakho said Union government-run Navodaya schools (affiliated to CBSE) which operate in almost all rural areas on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas has reportedly, on the directive of the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development, sent a circular that the CBSE will be organizing an essay competition on December 24 and 25.
“Will the Hindus be happy if Diwali” is declared as working day for both government establishments and educational institutions? Just because Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of Secular India, was born on 25th Dec, BJP-led government should not try to overshadow birth of Jesus Christ by forcing the Christians to work on the sacred day; the Christmas Day,” the NSF stated. It said this is an insult to the entire Christian community worldwide.
“It may seem just a simply declaration for many people but the sinister intention behind this declaration could be dangerous and counter-productive as this declaration is based on religious lines,” the NSF said.
It, therefore, urged the government of Nagaland and all the political parties to concertedly fight for the rights of the people by forcing the Central government to revoke the proposal of declaring December 25 as “working day” or “Good Governance Day”.