Nationwide cleanliness drive: Phom Baptist Christian Association asks public not to work on Sunday

DIMAPUR — The Phom Baptist Christian Association (PBCA) has called on the Phom community and the Naga Christians to avoid working on Sunday, while assuring full co-operation if the government conducts the cleanliness drive on any other day.

It came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an hour nationwide cleanliness drive on October 1, which falls on a Sunday, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

“India is popularly known for its unity in diversity, but the government of the day does not see the beauty of it, they believe in the power of unity in uniformity. This is the underlying ideological agenda of the government pushing for One Nation, One Election which is so suffocating in a secular democratic country. Cleanliness shows our civilisation, cleanliness shows the standard of living and clean environment creates hygienic and healthy living.  “Therefore, to keep our towns and cities clean is the civic duty of every citizen and every citizen must practice it sincerely, but not at the cost of Sunday. The Lord’s Day in Christianity is Sunday. Spiritually, Sunday is being observed as a day of worship, honouring our God, remembering and realising what our Lord Jesus has done for us our salvation,” read the press release.

Maintaining that Christians cannot participate in cleanliness drive held on Sunday, the PBCA asked: “Why the government of the day programmes and activities always coincide with Christian’s event like Sunday, Christmas day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, etc.?”

“A good and enlightened leader of the country must know how to respect the other. Why political leaders of the largest democracy country in the world are often derogatorily commenting on religious line?” it added.

The council said that churches in Nagaland are the “most peaceful”, rendering social services wherever needed, but do not work on Sundays.

“In the midst of power, wealth, status, position and ample opportunities Christians must not forget our resurrected Christ and work on the street, highway, train station and market places on Sunday,” it said while asking Phom citizens not to work on Sunday.

Also read: NDPP welcomes Nagaland government’s decision to conduct cleanliness drive ahead of other states