The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has disapproved senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoo’s what it called “fleeting reference” to Naga headgear at a seminar in Kerala on Sunday.
Tharoor reportedly questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi wears “outlandish” Naga headgear and “hilarious” outfits.
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In a statement on Tuesday, the Pradesh Congress, however, said the BJP chose to ignore the bigger issue raised by Tharoor against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It said the concern shown by BJP ministers and Central leaders, followed by Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio 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 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 NPCC stated.
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The party said it expected the state government to deliver rather than indulge in cherry picking at the behest of its “communal masters in Delhi whose sinister agenda is slowly throttling the nation and its people”.
Reacting to Tharoor’s statement, Rio took to twitter on Monday and insisted that he apologise. “Nagas have rich heritage & vibrant culture. We are proud of our history & traditions. The Naga headgear is renowned & gifted with honour, definitely not outlandish. Mutual respect makes India a great nation. One must apologise & withdraw statements that hurt others’ sentiments,” Rio tweeted.
The Naga Hoho also condemned Tharoor’s remarks. It stated that such statement was ‘inexcusable’ from someone of Tharoor’s stature.