GUWAHATI: Widespread protests made the BJP in Nagaland to clandestinely immerse the ashes of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday.
The immersion was to have taken place at Doyang river in Wokha district. However, protests by various organisations in the district made the BJP leadership to conduct the ritual at a river in Dimapur district.
The tribal organisations, as well as opposition Congress and the Church, were opposing immersion in the Christian-majority state by locals on the ground that it was an “alien ritual”.
The Lotha Hoho, which is the apex organisation of Lotha tribe, had earlier said the immersion of the ashes was neither a cultural practice nor religious belief. It said the Nagas’ distinct culture should not be “diluted”.
BJP Nagaland unit chief Temjen Imna Along Longkumer said despite the opposition, the immersion was performed in a very proper manner without hurting the sentiments of any.
“People are making a mountain out of a molehill without knowing the reality. Atalji’s issue is not a religious issue but a national issue. It is an issue of an icon. The minority morcha of BJP Nagaland took the lead in immersing the ashes in my presence and in the presence of party workers and leaders. As Christians, we all prayed. The priests did what they had to do,” Longkumer told TNIE.
He, however, refused to disclose the site or the river where the immersion took place. He said he had asked BJP workers to congregate at party office in Dimapur at 9 am on Monday and the protestors started gathering by 8 am. They were shouting slogans that they would not allow the immersion to take place, he said.
“In my conscience, I have done what I thought was right. Trouble may come and go. We should be ready to face brickbats along with kudos. There are talks going on social media that I may be killed. However, I am clean in my conscience. All states, including Mizoram, performed the immersion. What’s wrong in Nagaland? Social media is being misused here,” Longkumer said.