State Janata Dal (United) accuses Nagaland Baptist Church Council of hypocrisy

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland unit of Janata Dal (United) on Thursday reacted to a statement issued by the convenor of Clean Election Movement (Nagaland Baptist Church Council) on April 10, stating that it was contradictory to the actions of various church leaders during the 2023 state assembly elections.

Stating that it was ‘flabbergasted’ by the CEM convenor’s statement that urged voters in Nagaland to vote consciously against ‘bigotry,’ the JD (U) claimed that, “many reverends, pastors and prominent church workers were busy tacitly or even openly supporting various candidates of a political party, which it is now labelling as ‘bigotry.’

“It is indeed an act of hypocrisy that only in the ongoing Parliamentary election, the term Bigotry or ‘vote consciously’ or ‘safeguard democracy’ is coming out of the office of NBCC,” the JD (U) said.

It went on to say that the NBCC should focus on addressing the root causes instead of trying the play with the branches.

Moreover, if the NBCC’s reference to ‘bigotry’ is intended to target the BJP, “then it is absolutely misconstrued because the present prominent candidate of PDA/NDA candidate is from NDPP which has its own constitution and foundation rooted to regional basics,” it said.

Further, the JD (U) urged the NBCC to tread its own path of righteousness and strengthen its members with spiritual food, instead of messing with a system which is beyond their power and responsibilities.