The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has strongly criticized the Union Home Ministry’s decision to relax the Protected Area Permit (PAP) specifically for the Hornbill Festival while continuing to deny entry to Christian evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham, calling it a calculated act of discrimination.

In a statement, the NPCC stated that the Union Home Ministry’s decision of ‘selective relaxation’ of PAP exposes the BJP government’s discriminatory agenda and its use of state machinery for religious exclusion.

The NPCC stated that MHA’s action revealed that the PAP is a “political tool, not a security imperative”. “The ability to relax it for tourists proves that its initial use to block Rev Franklin Graham was a deliberate act of religious discrimination against a prominent Christian leader,” it said.

It also alleged that the MHA has chosen to stage a “cosmetic concession” for tourists while adamantly upholding the “discriminatory visa ban” against Rev Graham.

This decision, it said, made despite repeated requests from its own NDA ally in the state, is a blatant sign of disrespect, which exposes the BJP’s contempt for the Christian faith and is a deliberate slap in the face to every citizen of Nagaland.

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The NPCC said it would not allow this grave assault on their religious freedom and political dignity to be whitewashed by a “cynical, last-minute procedural tweak”.

“We stand committed to fighting for the constitutional rights and self-respect of the Naga people,” the party affirmed.