New Delhi: Following widespread protest, the Meghalaya chapter of the central government owned telecom service company BSNL has withdrawn its earlier order issued to its employees in the northeastern state to be present at work on Good Friday onMarch 30.
In the Christian-majority state, such an order from a central government enterprise attracted immediate criticism from the public. On March 24, the youth wing of a local political party, the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), met BSNL general manager (HR and Admin) Rajendra Kumar to seek a “clarification” on the decision.
Calling it “unfortunate”, KHNAM youth wing president told reporters in state capital Shillong, “We object to any central government offices declaring Good Friday as a working day. This decision was against the sentiments of the Christians and against the provisions of the constitution.”
KHNAM, an offshoot of Khasi Students Union and supportive of protecting the rights of the indigenous people, was soon joined by some other parties besides civil society groups. It led the state’s home minister and National People’s Party (NPP) leader James Sangma and the Information and Public relations minister A.L, Hek, who has joined the BJP from Congress prior to the recent polls, to intervene in the matter. Following their meeting with the BSNL authorities, on March 26, the earlier order was reversed for its Meghalaya employees.
In a state where the BJP had to face electoral setback recently as it was being perceived as an anti-minority party, Hek was quick to allay such doubts and told reporters that the notification was not issued by the Narendra Modi government but by the BSNL.
Though Good Friday is listed as a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, last year, the state saw widespread protest as the Modi government chose to observe the day of Good Friday as Digital India Day. It led the then NPP MP and the present chief minister Conrad Sangma to write a letter to Prime Minister Modi to defer the Digital India Day “so that the secular fabric of India remains honoured, both in writing and spirit.” The central government decision had come after a similar decision, that of celebrating Christmas Day as Good Governance Day, in 2016.
Recently, there was an uproar in the state assembly after Governor Ganga Prasad addressed the opening day of the budget session for the first time in Hindi. A section of MLAs from the Congress and KHNAM opposed it, stating that they didn’t understand it and it was an attempt by the Governor to “impose Hindi on the people of Meghalaya”. Former Congress minister Ampareen Lyngdoh staged a walkout in protest.
Three days later, on March 19, Lyngdoh, joined in by another MLA from KHNAM, spoke in the assembly in her mother tongue Khasi, which many MLAs from the Garo areas failed to understand. Later, a Garo MLA also spoke a few lines in his mother tongue. English has so far been the common language in the assembly as all the MLAs, coming from different language groups, understand it.
Hindi was spoken for the first time in the assembly of yet another north-eastern state – Nagaland – this past March 25. While taking part in the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, BJP MLA and minister for higher education and technical education Temjem Imma Along began his speech by seeking permission from the Speaker to say a few words in Hindi to congratulate Piyong Temjen jamir, principal of the Rashtrabhasha Hindi Shiksha Sansthan of Dimapur on being conferred the Padmashri.
A few MLAs expressed opposition stating that the Rules of assembly Procedure had no provision for speaking in Hindi but only in English and Naga-Assamese, or in their own dialect provided an advanced copy was submitted to the secretariat for English translation.
However, the BJP minister went ahead with it. Chief minister Neiphu Rio and head of the BJP ally, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, reportedly came to his rescue saying he had already submitted such a request to the speaker.
As per a media report, MLA Toshi Wontung “assured the house” that the ‘People’s Democratic Alliance has nothing to do with the Hindu fundamentalist and that the government would protect the faith, culture and tradition of the Nagas”.