Meghalaya NGO criticises State Education Minister Rakkam Sangma for planning to consecrate university with Christian prayer service-OxBig News Network

Rakkam A. Sangma. File
| Photo Credit: Photo Credit: X/@a_rakkam

GUWAHATI:

A Meghalaya-based non-governmental organisation has criticised the State’s Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma for planning to consecrate a university with a Christian prayer service.

The Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) also slammed the Minister, a National People’s Party (NPP) leader, for claiming Meghalaya was a Christian State and called for collective efforts to uphold and defend India’s constitutional values.

The NPP rules Meghalaya in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, two regional parties, and independents.

Last week, Mr. Sangma said the Captain Williamson Sangma University would be consecrated on January 13, 2025 with an exclusively Christian prayer service as Meghalaya was a Christian State. Named after Meghalaya’s first Chief Minister, Captain Williamson Sangma, the university is located at Balalgre in the West Garo Hills district.

“First, while Meghalaya may have a majority Christian population, this does not make it a Christian State. Second, according to the Indian Constitution, the State and its institutions are secular and must be equidistant from all religious groups,” the TUR said, adding that the Minister’s “fundamentalist” comment was a “direct violation of the constitutional principle of secularism”.

The TUR said publicly funded institutions such as the Captain Williamson Sangma University must remain free from religious influences to ensure equitable, fair, and quality education. “The Minister’s statement blatantly disregards and creates discriminatory conditions for citizens who follow other religions in Meghalaya,” it said.

The organisation underlined Meghalaya’s diverse religious landscape, including indigenous faiths such as Songsarek, Niamtre, and Niam Khasi.

Referring to the religious rituals conducted during the inauguration of the new Parliament building in New Delhi, the TUR criticised the BJP for blurring the line between religion and State institutions but said this does not justify the “competing religious fundamentalism” on the part of Mr. Sangma.

The TUR said the Minister’s statement “is not only toxic but also a betrayal of the constitutional principles he is sworn to uphold”. It sought cancellation of the planned religious service and asked Mr. Sangma to retract his “discriminatory statement”.