Dimapur: The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Monday asked the Centre not to turn the FCRA into an ideological weapon.
In a statement issued by its communication department, the NPCC strongly condemned any attempt by the BJP-led government at the Centre to weaponise the FCRA framework against Christian institutions, churches, NGOs and civil society organisations.
“If the BJP government believes in transparency, let there be transparency for everyone. But selective scrutiny, arbitrary restrictions and administrative harassment cannot be disguised as regulation,” the release said.
It pointed out that Christian organisations in Nagaland and across India have, for decades, served where governments have often fallen short — running schools, hospitals, orphanages, rehabilitation centres and humanitarian programmes for the poor, sick and marginalised.
The PCC stressed that the Constitution does not permit the government to decide whose faith deserves freedom and whose institutions deserve suspicion.
“Articles 14, 19 and 25 protect equality, association and religious freedom. No government, regardless of its parliamentary majority, stands above these constitutional guarantees,” it stated.
Stating that Nagaland has a long and proud history of Christian institutions contributing to education, healthcare and social welfare, the PCC said an attack on legitimate institutions serving “our people” ultimately becomes an attack on the poor, the needy and the communities that depend upon them.
It also asked the government not to treat Christian institutions as suspects merely because of their faith and not to mistake political power for constitutional authority.
“Regulate wrongdoing, but do not criminalise service. Demand accountability, but do not practise discrimination. The Constitution must prevail over the BJP’s politics,” the PCC added.