Dimapur, Aug. 7 (EMN): The Nagaland unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a protest rally at its office in Dimapur on Tuesday to condemn senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor over his reported statement about the Nagas’ traditional headgear. The unit’s members burned his effigy. It said that Tharoor’s statement manifested his ‘disdain’ for the Nagas, for which the party sought an apology for ‘hurting the sentiments of the people.’
The 62-year old MP of Thiruvananthapuram received flak from the people of Northeast and the BJP for describing the Naga headgear to be “outlandish” and “hilarious” during his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not wearing a Muslim skullcap. He made the controversial statement while addressing a seminar in Kerala’s state capital on Sunday.
“In his overzealous hate for the prime minister and BJP, Tharoor doesn’t mind insulting the rich heritage and culture of the Nagas,” the general secretary of the BJP, James Vizo, said adding that it was ‘shameful for a person who represented the country at the United Nations to mock the traditional attires of the native tribal people.’
Mentioning that the cultural and traditional values and beliefs play a vital role in the lives of the tribal people, Vizo questioned the state Congress if they would support Tharoor or defend the dignity of the Nagas.
At the receiving end of some stinging criticism from all quarters, Tharoor responded on his twitter account on Tuesday. “I approve entirely. I said PMs should wear all sorts of outlandish headgear when offered with respect, but why decline one specific one?”
Patton and NPF demand apology
The deputy chief minister of Nagaland, Y Patton, also issued a statement containing a demand for apology from Tharoor 'for insulting the people of Northeast, particularly the Nagas.'
"It was quite unbecoming for a person of his stature to make such irresponsible remark which had irrevocably hurt the sentiments of the Nagas and the Northeast in general," the statement read.
Before making such remark, Patton stated, Tharoor should have known the Naga traditional headgear 'depicts the patriotic valour and the rich cultural heritage' of the people. "No one has the right to ridicule or make fun of any traditional and cultural heritage of the country.
"Shashi Tharoor, should clarify whether the remark was in his own personal capacity or the opinion of the Congress party as a whole, for which he should tender unconditional apology to the people of the region in the public domain," Patton demanded.
In a separate statement, the Naga People's Front (NPF) demanded Tharoor take back his words. Terming Tharoor's remark ridiculous, the NPF stated it was tantamount to 'discrediting the traditional values and practices of the Nagas which is different from the rest of the world.'
It stated that the party detests the idea of 'tagging and dragging the Naga headgear into the crossfire of the BJP and the Congress party.'
"While respecting the views of the Congress veteran Mr. Shashi Tharoor on his stand about the PM reluctance to accept or wear the Muslim skullcap which has serious ramifications on the religious sentiments of the Muslims, the NPF would like to point out that Nagas have their own unique traditional practices. And unlike the skullcap that represents the Muslim religion, or the cow that represents the Hindu religious beliefs, the Naga headgear does not represent any religion for the Nagas. Rather, it is a symbol of respect and status accorded to an honoured guest or revered persons of a certain community," the party stated.
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) also stated that it disapproves Tharoor's "fleeting reference to Naga Headgear during a seminar at Kerala."
In a statement that was issued on Tuesday, the party stated that it was however unfortunate that the BJP had chosen to ignore 'the bigger issue' raised by Tharoor against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The concern shown by BJP ministers and central leaders, followed by our CM and some of his cabinet colleagues in trying to extract maximum political mileage is understandable but equal concern should be shown to the plight of the Nagas reeling under miserable existence owing to 16 years of misrule perpetrated by the same set of leaders.
"The hyper activism of BJP and their paid cohorts will not wash away the sins of the state government that is fully responsible for the current state of crumbling infrastructure and a myriad of socio-economic problems in which there seems to be no permanent solution but a knee-jerk reaction to every situation at hand," the statement read.
