File image of a cow shelter.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Kohima: The Nagaland government has decided not to grant permission to ‘Gau Mahasabha’ (mega meeting for cows) in Kohima on September 28, a senior minister said on Wednesday.
Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshvaranand Saraswati, is scheduled to preside over the meeting.
In Christian-majority Nagaland, beef is consumed by a majority of the population.
The decision not to allow the programme was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, government spokesperson and minister C L John told reporters here.
The Cabinet highlighted the protection given under Article 371A of the Constitution on the religious and social practices of the Nagas as well as the Naga customary law and procedure, John said.
During the meeting, the Cabinet was apprised of the opposition voiced by various civil society organisations and political parties in the state.
Objections to the event were raised by the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), its allies BJP as well as the Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) and civil society organisations such as Naga Mothers’ Association and Naga Students’ Federation.
John said, “The Cabinet did not grant permission to hold the programme in the interest of maintenance of public order.” The government is also of the view that it will be better for the organisers not to come to Nagaland to hold that programme, the minister said.
“Beef has been part of the Naga cuisine since time immemorial,” Naga Mothers’ Association president Vilanuo Yhome told PTI.
The state BJP also denounced the proposed programme.
“It has nothing to do with the Nagaland BJP. It is imperative to address this issue in the context of Nagaland’s socio-religious and cultural fabric,” state BJP president Benjamin Yepthomi said in a statement.