GUWAHATI: A Meghalaya minister’s statement that the state government will consecrate the Captain Williamson Sangma State University on January 13 by following Christian rituals has has faced opposition from the Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR), an NGO.
The state's Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma has recently proposed that Meghalaya’s first state university, named after its first chief minister Captain Williamson Sangma, be consecrated by following Christian rituals.
Mentioning the inauguration of the new parliament building last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sangma argued, "Ours is a Christian state. We want to consecrate the first state university with a massive prayer meet. If Parliament can be blessed with Hindu rituals, why not Christian rituals in a Christian state?"
Opposing the minister's proposal, Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) said that the Constitution directs the state and its institutions to maintain distance from religious groups .
"Meghalaya may be a state where (a) majority of its population practises various forms of Christianity but that in itself does not make it a Christian state. Second, state and its institutions in India as per our Constitution are secular bodies that keep equidistance from various religious groups. Mr Rakkam Sangma’s statement goes against the Constitutional values of secularism,” the NGO said in a statement.
It stressed that a publicly-funded state university should be free from religious influence of any kind to be able to prosper and provide free, fair and quality education for all.
"Meghalaya is home to people of various faiths, including followers of indigenous faith like Songsarek, Niamtre and Niam Khasi. Mr Rakkam Sangma’s ignorant statement as the education minister blatantly creates discriminatory conditions for Meghalaya’s other religions,” the NGO said.
Alleging that the BJP-led government at Centre is actively seeking to blur the distinction between Hindu faith and state institutions, the NGO said "political morality means that one should not encourage competing religious fundamentalism as Mr Sangma seems to be doing.”
"TUR wants to remind Mr Rakkam Sangma that he has taken an oath to protect the Indian Constitution and its values. His toxic fundamentalist statement goes against his constitutional oath. The planned service should be immediately stopped and the minister should retract his discriminatory statement," the NGO demanded.