Religion is back in business in India’s Nagaland state. The strongly perceived Christian identity of the indigenous Na-gas is making headlines.
Nagaland is a Christian and tribal-dominated province in the northeast where guerrillas are still seeking independence.
S. Phangnon Konyak, a Naga Christian woman who heads the local women’s wing of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha or upper house of parliament by her party. As expected, BJP leaders called it revolutionary and empowering for women, especially in the context of a state that has so far not elected a single woman legislator to the local legislature.
Phangnon is only the second woman parliamentarian from the state and the first female among Nagas to be elected to the Rajya Sabha.
However, the episode has gradually become a Hindu-versus-Christianity issue, at least for some individuals and political players. Curiously, one church leader has jumped on the bandwagon.
“The people’s government with Christian votes has shamed and destroyed the image of every Christian and that of the Christian state.”