Mizoram’s leading non-governmental organization, the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), has voiced its strong opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s upcoming cleanliness drive initiative, scheduled for Sunday, October 1, 2023. The CYMA, while expressing respect and support for the Prime Minister’s objective of dedicating an hour to a cleanliness drive under the banner ‘Ek Tareekh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Sath,’ raised concerns about the chosen date.
In a statement, the CYMA emphasized that Sunday, October 1, 2023, is a significant day for Christians in Mizoram. It is a day when the community attends church services and engages in worship. Therefore, CYMA views the selection of this date for the cleanliness drive as a sign of disrespect towards their holy day and religious practices.
“We believe that setting this initiative on a Sunday is a sign of disrespect towards our holy day, and we are against scheduling such agendas in a democratic country like India, where there is freedom of religion,” officials of the CYMA stated in the organization’s official response.
CYMA has appealed to the Mizoram government to reconsider the chosen date for the cleanliness drive and to reschedule it to a day that does not clash with the religious practices of the Christian community in the state.
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In a related development, the neighboring state of Nagaland also expressed opposition to the cleanliness drive being conducted on a Sunday. Following objections from various organizations and church bodies, the Nagaland government took action by changing the date of the mega cleanliness drive.
Nagaland, along with the rest of the country, will now participate in the cleanliness drive on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at 10 a.m., instead of the originally designated date of October 1, 2023, which falls on a Sunday. This decision was confirmed by a government order issued by Abhijit Sinha, Principal Secretary, Home.
Also Read | Nagaland govt responds: Mass cleanliness drive on Sept 30
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