The Congress chief of Nagaland says he would like to invite Shashi Tharoor to Nagaland and make him wear a Naga headgear.
The president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress, K. Therie, said that Shashi Tharoor's remarks calling the Naga headgear as “outlandish” were completely unnecessary. Therie said this in response to Tharoor's remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi wearing Naga traditional headgear, while refusing that of another community.
Tharoor, at a convention, had said that Modi refused to wear a cap of a particular community (Muslim skull cap) while he wears various other attire, including "outlandish" Naga headgear.
"Shashi wanted to tell nation that PM would look hilarious in the Naga headgear. I think he [Tharoor] too, would look hilarious," Therie said with a laugh.
"It was completely unnecessary for a man like Shashi Tharoor to make such a remark. A comparison should not be made by degrading another tradition," the senior Naga Congress leader told THE WEEK.
Therie said he would like to invite Tharoor to Nagaland to help him understand the Naga attire. "I would like to invite him to Nagaland. I would also put a headgear on his head to remove any misconception he might have about the Naga headgear," he said.
Tharoor's remarks had invited huge criticism from BJP and its allies including those from Northeastern states. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is an MP from Arunachal Pradesh, sought an apology from Tharoor.
While senior Congress leaders in Delhi stayed away from making any comments, only the Naga Congress president has come out calling the remarks as outlandish. Therie agrees that the Prime Minister looks hilarious while wearing the various headgears, but he supports Modi as by wearing the headgear he is accepting the Naga culture.
"It would have been good had he worn the skull cap of Muslims to win their heart as well. I am not saying Modi has won hearts of Naga people by wearing our headgear, as he is clueless on solving the decades old Naga problem. But to make statement that his wearing Naga attire is outlandish means others too don't have respect for Naga tradition," said Therie.