ICC Note:

Christians in India have complained to the government that scheduling Good Governance Day on December 25th is nothing short of discrimination. The Christians say that the scheduling of a secular holiday over Christmas Day is an attempt to cover up the annual Christian celebration. Christians went on to say that this attempt by India’s government has hurt the religious sentiments of India’s 25 million Christians. Will India celebrate Christmas or Good Governance Day on December 25th?  

12/06/2016 India (The Economic Times) – Church bodies in Northeast India opposed NDA government’s decision of holding good governance day on Christmas Day on December 25. The church bodies felt that this will hurt the sentiment of minorities.

Church body, Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) the decision if not reversed will be discriminatory move against the minorities. Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitu Committee (MKHC), a committee of church leaders in the State has moved President Pranab Mukherjee to repeal the Central government’s decision to observe Good Governance Day on Christmas Day.

Northeast India has sizable christens population. In a statement NBCC said the controversy over Narendra Modi government’s decision to observe national Good Governance day, has returned to hurt the sentiments of Christian minority in India and majority in Nagaland. “The decision was an attempt to dilute the importance of the day and unless rectified, will go down in history as a “discriminatory move against religious minorities.”

NBCC said it could not agree more with Narendra Modi’s stand that Good Governance was the key to a nation’s progress and lauded his commitment for a transparent and accountable administration for the betterment of the common citizens. However, it said observing it on an auspicious occasion was “thoughtless and insensitive” particularly to the Christian minority in India.

NBCC slammed the motive to hold Good Governance on December 25 as nothing short of following the Sangh’s policies to suppress religious minorities in secular India.

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