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The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Wednesday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for maintaining silence against the recent spate of attacks on the Christian community across the country.

A press release from NPCC Media Cell on Wednesday said that the arrest of Christmas carollers and the burning of their vehicle in Madhya Pradesh on false allegations and the ban on Christmas celebrations in Uttar Pradesh by certain religious outfits, were an ‘outright assault’ on the secular fabric of the country.

NPCC also hit out at the ‘silence of the BJP’, which it said, was deafening while describing the perpetrators as ‘religious fanatics’ who were ‘no better than Taliban or ISIS’.

NPCC said ever since the BJP came to power, these fringe elements have been allowed to run rampant.  NPCC claimed that on close scrutiny it was found these fringe groups were foot soldiers of BJP during the elections.

It also lamented that that the NPF-BJP government in the State had remained mute spectators and recalled how, in July 2017, the NPF claimed to have severed ties with the BJP by holding a ‘beef fest’ and the NPF president even called the Chief Minister ‘Heraka Boy’.

However, they said, the two parties were back together to finish what little was left after looting the State for 15 years.

NPCC expressed their solidarity with the nation’s Christian community who were living under a constant ‘fear psychosis’ the perpetrators of which had tacit blessings of the BJP government.

They demanded that the Central Government take immediate steps to reign in these outfits and assure protection for the lives and rights of its citizens.

They further appealed to the people of Nagaland to pray for their Christian brethren across the Nation who were living under perpetual fear especially during this Christmas season so that the Christmas message of love and peace prevails over the politics of hatred and divisions.