Guwahati, July 16, 2015: The membership of BJP has increased at least three times in the Christian dominated state of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram despite campaigns to portray the party as anti-Christian, says its spokesperson Nalin Kohli.

In Meghalaya the party has increased from 23,000 to 65,000. In Arunachal Pradesh party followers surged from 30,000 to 100,000. Mizoram has now has 78,000 followers and Nagaland has 100,000. The increase happened in recent years from the few thousands, said Nalin Kohli who was in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Opposition parties to campaign against BJP projecting it as anti Christian particularly in the wake of attacks on churches, talks of banning beef and hoisting international Yoga day on a Sunday.

Many churches in Northeast India opposed the Government program of International Yoga day on Sunday and asked its members to refrain from it.

But BJP is not against any religion, Kohli said pointing that the deputy chief minister of Goa, where BJP is in power, is a Christian.

Kohli argued that in recently held Autonomous district council polls in Tripura BJP emerged as number two party.

BJP president Amit Shah reviewed the progress of membership drive and the progress of the Maha Sampark Abhiyan (mass contact program) with the state in charge of Northeastern units of party.

M. Chuba Ao Nagaland unit president of BJP said party’s opponents “always try to brand BJP as Hindu political party. They want to say that BJP is opposed to Church and Christians.”

Despite such campaign, “persistent effort is now paying off we are able to make people understand the BJP is not opposed to any religion rather it respects all religion and diverse culture of different lands,” Ao said.

- economic times