Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu created quite a stir in the state and national circles by hinting towards lifting the almost 40 year old anti-conversion law in the state. His statement concerning the same came while attending a function organised by the Arunachal Pradesh Catholic Association at a church in Banderdewa. Khandu said, “The anti-conversion law could undermine secularism and is probably targeted towards Christians”. These words would have been unimaginable from the mouth of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader but Khandu seemed so sure of himself when he uttered these words that they seem to have rattled the indigenous people of the state. The Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP) and the Nyishi Indigenous Faiths and Cultural Society (NIFCS) slammed the move by Khandu as “minority appeasement and detrimental to the growth of indigenous people of the State”
The indigenous people and Hindus are the prime targets of the conversion brigades which operate in Arunachal Pradesh. The indigenous people are the worst affected by the works of the missionaries who mislead tribals into leaving their culture and practice. The Nyishi belong to the Tani group, which is the largest ethnic community in Arunachal Pradesh. Both IFCSAP and NIFCS are major organisations which fight for preservation of indigenous faiths such as Donyi-Polo and Rangfra. The combined statement from both these organisations shows the damage missionaries and evangelical groups have done to the state where Christianity has grown from none in 1951 to being the largest group at 30.26% in 2011. This unprecedented growth has taken place despite the strict law on conversion in the state. Any further lease given to the missionaries would lead to rampant conversion and severe setback to the indigenous faith and practices.
IFCSAP General Secretary Bai Taba said, “We condemn the statement of the Chief Minister as the anti-conversion law, if repealed, would threaten the indigenous culture of the State. There is also the apprehension among the people that the Chief Minister is bringing the denizens of Arunachal Pradesh under the minority or general category and stripping the special privileges which we have been enjoying as Scheduled Tribes,” While Pai Dawe, president of NIFCS said, The Chief Minister is undermining the sentiments and emotions of the indigenous faith believers of the state by making such a statement, he went on to add that scrapping the anti-conversion law would damage the basic structure of faiths and cultures which are still languishing from the persistent influence of foreign cultures.
Central leadership of BJP should take the matter in its own hands as early as possible before Khandu goes ahead with this suicidal move. Khandu should learn a few things from the incumbent CM of Jharkhand and another BJP CM Raghubar Das who has been proactive in curbing the work of missionaries in his state. The imposition of another religion at the cost of losing indigenous faith and cultures is never a great thing. Khandu might have been trying to woo the Christian vote banks of the state but this move will prove detrimental for the state and the national level in the long run. The concerns of the indigenous people are real and it should be shared nationwide in a bid to stop the conversion brigade from achieving their nefarious goals.