Imphal, July 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state Vice President in Mizoram, R. Vanramchhuanga, has resigned from his post accusing Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and Indian Home Minister Amit Shah for their indifferent attitude towards the Christian community in the violence-hit state. Vanramchhuanga submitted his resignation letter to Mizoram state BJP President.

In his resignation letter, he said, “Due to the recent outbreak of ethnic conflict in Manipur state, 357 Christian churches, pastor quarters and office buildings belonging to different churches were so far burnt into ashes by Meitei militants. However, the incident was not blamed by Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Imphal, but neither had he blamed the burning of church buildings.”

He said, even the Central government has not expressed any word to condemn the burning of Christian churches. Therefore, I do believe that massive demolition of Christian Churches in Manipur was supported by the state and Central authorities, he stated. “To protest against this act of criminal injustice to the Christians and the Christian religion, I do hereby submit my resignation as the state Vice President, BJP Mizoram Pradesh with immediate effect,” he said in his resignation letter.

While talking to media over the phone, he said that some Congress and Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) leaders met him and approached him to join their parties. But he told them that he was yet to decide on his future course of action. He said he cannot continue to neither hold an important post in the BJP nor continue to remain as even a primary member of such a party which endorses attacks against Christians and the Christian religion by burning a large number of church buildings.

Elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly will be held this year end. BJP has a lone member in the house. Vanramchhuanga is the first BJP leader to quit the party in the northeastern region in protest against the Manipur violence, which broke out after a tribal organisation held a rally on May 3 opposing the recognition of the Meitei (Hindu) community as Scheduled Tribe. The violence has so far claimed over 150 lives while more than 600 people have been injured.

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