The Hindu : National : Protest against Gujarat's denial of holiday on Good Friday

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

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National

Protest against Gujarat's denial of holiday on Good Friday

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD, APRIL 6. The All India Christian Council, which held a dharna here today to press its demand for the Gujarat Government to declare Good Friday on April 9 as a public holiday, has threatened to intensify its agitation and "boycott'' the Lok Sabha elections if its demand is not met.

The AICC joint secretary, Samson Christian, said that though the State Government had earlier rescheduled the examinations due on April 9 in the schools and colleges in the State on a directive from the National Minorities Commission (NMC), it had so far refused to declare it a public holiday. Gujarat University had also scheduled examinations on that day to the disadvantage of Christian students.

He said it was the first time since independence, that Good Friday had been taken out of the list of public holidays and had been declared a restricted holiday apparently to harass Christians. The AICC had earlier brought the matter to the attention of the NMC as well as the president, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and it had asked the authorities to look into the matter but the BJP Government in the State had failed to give a positive response. It was strange, he said, while the Central Government had declared Good Friday a public holiday, the State Government had not.

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