‘G20 a respectable body’: Church body against serving liquor to G20 delegates in Nagaland

Tuesday’s statement by NBCC general secretary Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho came after a statement by chief minister Neiphiu Rio on March 27

KOHIMA: The influential Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) on Tuesday expressed its reservations at the state government permitting liquor to be served to delegates for the G20 meeting scheduled in Nagaland and asked the government to resolutely enforce Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act 1989.

NBCCsaid the G20 was a “respectable and honourable body” and the people of Nagaland feel privileged and honoured to be given the chance to host the business meeting. (Twitter/PIBKohima)

Tuesday’s statement by NBCC general secretary Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho came after a statement by chief minister Neiphiu Rio on March 27 that the government is trying to mobilize more resources to meet the state’s increasing requirements and one of the areas being considered is to allow the sale of liquor to foreign nationals.

Keyho said that the NLTP Act does have a provision to allow serving liquor by certain hotels of star category but the law had never been stringently enforced by the government.

“When the Act is not implemented, every legal provision becomes a suspect. One of such is making liquor available during the G20 summit. One can see the opportunity of misusing the provision because there will certainly be no supervision. There is every chance that the star hotels and restaurants will become den of the liquor shop,” the NBCC statement said.

It said the G20 was a “respectable and honourable body” and the people of Nagaland feel privileged and honoured to be given the chance to host the business meeting.

“Allow them (foreign delegates) to get God’s blessing and host them well but not with a prohibited commodity,” the church body said.

Instead of focusing on liquor, it said the G20 meeting should be allowed to accomplish their tasks in “Green Development, Climate Finance & LiFE, Accelerated, Inclusive & Resilient Growth, Accelerating Progress on SDGs, Technological Transformation & Digital Public Infrastructure, Multilateral Institutions for the 21st century, and Women-led Development”.