HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, Sept 11: After the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and the Naga People’s Front, the Nagaland unit of BJP and the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Tuesday opposed and condemned the proposed Gau Dhwaj Sthapna Bharat Yatra scheduled in Kohima on September 28.
The state BJP clarified that it has nothing to do with this group organising the yatra.
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“Any attempt to impose regulations that contradict these practices, especially in matters of food, is a direct infringement on the rights guaranteed to the people of Nagaland,” state BJP president Benjamin Yepthomi said in a release.
Yepthomi said the proposed cow slaughter ban not only challenges “our cultural and social practices but also goes against our religious beliefs.”
Yepthomi strongly urged the organisers of the yatra to reconsider holding such a programme in Nagaland, given the potential implications it will inevitably have on the cultural cohesion and communal peace of the state.
He also emphasized that the state BJP’s opposition to this programme is not an attack on any particular faith or belief system, rather it is a call for mutual respect and understanding.
The state BJP appealed to the Nagaland government to uphold the provisions of Article 371A and protect the rights and traditions of the Naga people.
It also urged all parties concerned to ensure that no actions are taken which could harm the longstanding peace and unity within “our society”.
The NPCC strongly condemned the proposed Gau Dhwaj Yatra in Kohima, saying food choice is a personal matter and a fundamental aspect of individual freedom.
It said any attempts to impose one’s food preferences or beliefs on another in the state would be opposed tooth and nail.
The NPCC termed the proposed yatra aimed at promoting the ban on cow slaughter “Exhibit A” of a divisive trend.
