ICC Note:

Christians in Northeastern India have claimed that the BJP-led government’s decision to mark December 25 as Good Governance Day is being used to dilute the importance of Christmas. For Christians in India, Christmas is among the most important holidays celebrated by the community. When the current BJP-led government came to power in 2014, it decided to mark December 25 as Good Governance Day. Many Christians view this move as an attempt to cover up Christmas and have petitioned the government to move Good Governance Day to another day. So far, the government has refused. 

12/09/2016 India (The Wire) – The Narendra Modi government’s decision in 2014 to mark December 25 as the Good Governance Day has met renewed opposition from a number of Christian organizations in the Northeast, reportedly leading Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu not to go ahead with it, and the Mizoram unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party to demand that the Congress-run state government announce that it would not celebrate the day on Christmas, an auspicious day for the Christian-dominated state.

Earlier this week, the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) submitted a memorandum to the state chief minister Khandu urging him not to celebrate Good Governance Day on December 25 since it is a gazetted holiday for Christmas. ACF general secretary Toko Teki told local media that the state government should not allow any official function on the day of Christmas, as it would hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian community.

On December 5, while addressing a press meet in Itanagar, ACF president Khoda Apik said, “If the Good Governance Day is celebrated on December 25, the state government employees who are Christians will be obligated to work on Christmas. They will not be able to celebrate Christmas.”

He further added, “It will not only hurt the religious sentiments of the people but will also be against the spirit of the constitution of India, particularly Article 25 which is enshrined in the fundamental rights.”

He clarified that the community “has no issue with the government’s decision to celebrate Good Governance Day on any other day.”

Reacting to it, the state unit of the BJP issued a statement saying, “There is an unfounded misconception among some section of people in Arunachal Pradesh that December 25, which has been declared as Good Governance Day, is going to clash or usurp the Christmas Day, which is a gazetted national holiday. December 25 will continue to remain as Christmas Day for the followers of Christ across the country including Arunachal Pradesh.”

The statement issued by BJP spokesperson Nalong Mize clarified that December 25 was declared Good Governance Day by the central government in 2014 to commemorate the birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“As Vajpayee championed transparency and accountability in governance throughout his public life, it was only apt to declare his birthday as good governance day to reiterate the vision and values of the former prime minister,” the BJP statement said.

“It is just a coincidence that the birthday of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee also falls on the same auspicious day as that of Jesus Christ. There is no reason for apprehension that December 25 will be a working day on account of Good Governance Day celebration.”

Since the People’s Party of Arunachal is an ally of the BJP, there have been concerns among the Christian community living in the state about the gazetted holiday being diluted on account of government functions in celebration of Good Governance Day.

Teka later told the media, “The state government has decided not to observe Good Governance Day on December 25. The chief minister has assured the community that his government will not observe the day at the cost of hurting their religious sentiment.”

In 2015, when the then state governor J. P. Rajkhowa greeted people on Good Governance Day, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Seva Dal issued a statement condemning the move saying, “This is an attempt to directly or indirectly lessen the importance of Christmas or disrespect the sentiments of Christians.”

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