Dimapur: The Naga Students Federation (NSF) on Tuesday held a demonstration at Naga Solidarity Park in Kohima, demanding that the Nagaland Assembly pass a bill or resolution opposing the singing or playing of the revised Vande Mataram at official and private programmes in the state.
The protest coincided with the opening of the monsoon session of the Nagaland Assembly. The protesters later marched towards the Assembly.
Addressing the gathering, NSF president Mteisuding appealed to legislators to take up the issue and pass a resolution against the use of Vande Mataram at official and private programmes. He said the federation had written to the Chief Minister and Assembly Speaker seeking that the matter be included in the House agenda.
Mteisuding said the NSF would continue to pursue the demand until the Assembly passed a bill or resolution on the issue.
He also urged the Naga community to come forward and raise the matter, while clarifying that the protest was not intended to insult or denounce any nation or national song.
The NSF president said the federation viewed the issue as one concerning the religious rights of the Naga people. He said the Naga people had adopted Christianity as their religion and that the federation would not accept any measure that, in its view, compromised their faith.
The NSF has rejected the singing or playing of Vande Mataram at official programmes and its imposition on students or the wider community, Mteisuding said.