The Congress has often condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party of mixing religion with politics and one might even think the Congress has never done that before. Well, here is proof that the “grand old party” of the country has itself indulged in blatantly mixing religion and politics. This is what happened – the Arunachal Christian Forum has declared its support for Congress Lok Sabha candidates in Arunachal Pradesh and the party has not refused the support. The leftist lobby and media as usual is totally silent on the issue and no one is raising the question of Congress mixing religion and politics.

On April 3, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu accused the Congress party of resorting to religious manipulation within the state, as reported in The Hindu. This accusation came after the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) declared its support for the Lok Sabha candidates of the Congress party. Mr. Khandu expressed deep concern over what he termed the “politicisation of religion” and cautioned against the use of divisive electoral tactics.

His statement was prompted by a circular issued by the ACF on March 26, in which the organization listed six grievances justifying their decision to oppose the current regime. These grievances included concerns such as the potential repeal of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, the proposed withdrawal of Scheduled Tribe status from Christians, and restrictions on spiritual activities within the state.

Furthermore, the ACF urged the populace to vote for Congress candidates Nabam Tuki, a former Chief Minister, in the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency, and Bosiram Siram in the Arunachal East seat.

On April 3, the ACF released another circular warning members against actions that contradict the official stance of the organization, threatening necessary measures against dissenters.

Arunachal Pradesh boasts a diverse demographic landscape, with Christians constituting over 30.26% of the population according to the 2011 Census. Hindus, adherents of indigenous faiths, and Buddhists make up significant portions of the populace as well.

The upcoming polls in Arunachal Pradesh, scheduled for April 19, will encompass voting for two Lok Sabha seats alongside elections for 50 Assembly seats. Notably, the BJP secured 10 seats in the 60-member House uncontested on March 30, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the initial phase.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented a list of 10 alleged scams, cautioning the public against voting for the Congress party. These purported scandals encompassed various domains such as the coal scam, Augusta Westland scam, Commonwealth Games scam, telecom scam, Antrix-Devas scam, and land-for-job scam.
The Chief Minister’s enumeration came as a response to the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee’s ‘maha avijognama’ (mega chargesheet) against his BJP government, which cataloged 50 purported scams or irregularities, including those involving the Chief Minister and his family members.

In response to these allegations, Congress MLA Debabrata Saikia accused Dr. Sarma of engaging in “cheap talk” to deflect attention from pertinent issues such as inflation, economic turmoil, and the central government’s failure to fulfill promises of job creation for the youth. Mr. Saikia reminded that the BJP had pledged to safeguard the interests of the Assamese people and provide Scheduled Tribe status to six communities in the state.