NTC condemns construction of Rani Gaidinliu Memorial Hall
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, December 05 2014 :
Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has expressed its strong resentment against the decision to build a Rani Gaidinliu Memorial Hall in Kohima by the Nagaland Government saying there was no contribution of the leader to the people of Nagaland.
The building is completed now.
NTC is formed by 16 Naga tribes of Nagaland.
In a statement issued today, the NTC questioned, "What are considered as the contributions of Gaidinliu to the cause of Naga National movement or the movement of Nagaland Statehood ?" .
According to the NTC, she became popular in her Rongmei community to succeed Haipou Jadonang as the new cult leader.
She resisted the invasion of East India Company of Britain not because of political aspiration but because of her religious assertion.
She faced challenges with the conversion of her followers to Christianity which she found to be a threat to her cult.
The culture of her cult was alien to Christianity, the NTC added.
The NTC said the State Government of Nagaland with 60 MLAs from Nagaland State has given much priority to keep the memory of Gaidinliu by building a Memorial Hall at Kohima at the cost of the State's exchequer.
During the last 51 years of Statehood, Nagaland has not honored any son of the soil by installing even a bust of an individual not to speak of of such a memorial building costing more than Rs 9 crore in the State capital.
Such tributes to be paid to any leader of the State should be a person of extraordinary eminence whose sacrifices for fellow Nagas of Nagaland were extraordinary and cannot be matched.
On the other hand there are many more deserving indigenous leaders of both Naga National movement and Naga People's Convention (NPC) whose contributions gave birth to Statehood.
According to the NTC, Heraka followers demanding huge size metal statue of Gaidinliu to be installed at Dimapur Airport naming after her, installation of the same statue in front of the Museum at Kohima, placing the portrait of the cult leader inside the Assembly Hall of NLA etc.
are disgusting and highly provoking.
The Heraka followers are taking all unthinkable advantages now because the Nagaland Government gave recognition to Rongmei as a tribe in Nagaland, the statement of the NTC added.
"Under no circumstances, the NTC will allow Nagaland to be converted into a launching pad for such cult as Heraka or alien culture of idol worship," it asserted.
The Nagas at no point of time were ruled by any Raja/Rani or idolized any hero, it added.
The NTC cautioned the citizens that a kind of psychological persecution is being intensively inflicted upon the faith of the people knowing the greed for power and fragility of the people for money.