Shillong: The BJP Meghalaya unit has clarified that the denial of permission by Delhi Police for the Palm Sunday procession by the Catholic Church should not be seen as a violation of religious freedom. The party pointed out that permission was also denied to a Hindu group planning a Hanuman Jayanti procession around the same time.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, BJP Meghalaya General Secretary Wankitbok Pohshna said the issue was not limited to the Catholic community alone. “It wasn’t just the Catholics who were denied permission for a procession on Palm Sunday—another religious group, planning a Hanuman Jayanti procession, was also not granted permission prior to Palm Sunday,” he said.
He added that while Catholics were not allowed to hold a procession from one church to another, they were still allowed to observe the occasion freely within the church premises.
Responding to recent statements by Congress MP Saleng A. Sangma alleging that Christians across the country are being harassed, Pohshna said such claims are misleading and intended to create a false narrative among the Indian public. He compared the tactic to Congress’s stance on the Waqf Amendment Bill, noting that even Muslim groups have supported the BJP government on that issue.
Pohshna also challenged Tura MP Saleng A. Sangma to speak out about the alleged misconduct of Congress leaders in the National Herald case, questioning his silence on the matter.
