The North East India Regional Bishop’s Council (NEIRBC) has issued a statement that the church is not associated with any political party.
The president of NEIRBC, Rev Dominic Jala, mentioned in the letter that voting at every election is a sacred duty and obligation of every citizen, according to reports.
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In a letter addressed to the Catholic faithful of the northeastern region, Rev Jala requested every person to vote without taking into account the issues of caste, creed and religion.
He also mentioned about the alarming issues of the country like the huge gap between the rich and the poor, the meagre wages for the unorganized labourers, farmers’ distress and corruption at all levels.
The letter also contained a seven-point guideline to church leaders. Some of these points include working for an economy that seeks to help the poor and the underprivileged, ensuring a safe environment for everyone and promoting communal harmony through inter-religious dialogue.
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The letter ended with a prayer to the leaders of the northeastern region to take forward the regional issues into the national arena so that it can be solved.
The Arunachal Pradesh Christian Revival Church Council had recently appealed to the voters of the state to support a Christian candidate Khyoda Apik who will be contesting for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
This request of the church council was strongly protested by right –wing organization of the state named Legal Rights Observatory (LRO).
The organization lodged a complaint against the council with the Election Commission asking them to take strict action against the church body.
LRO said that the act of the church body was a violation of the model of conduct assigned by the Election Commission.