Nagaland Govt Declines to Allow ‘Gau Mahasabha’ in Kohima

Kohima: The cabinet of the Nagaland government on Wednesday declared that it would not allow the holding of ‘Gau Mahasabha’ and Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra in Kohima on September 28.

Nagaland is a Christian-majority state where both Naga and non-Nagas consume beef. The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), its allies BJP and Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF), and various civil society organisations including the influential Naga Mothers’ Association and Naga Students’ Federation strongly opposed the holding of the ‘Gau Mahasabha’.

Nagaland’s Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister C L John said that the Nagaland Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Wednesday decided not to allow the ‘Gau Mahasabha’. This programme was to be attended by the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshvaranand Saraswati.

“In the interest of maintenance of public order, peace and ethnic harmony, the Cabinet disallowed the holding of the ‘Gau Mahasabha’,” the minister said.