GUWAHATI: The Nagaland BJP immersed former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee 's ashes in Dhansiri river at a low-key function in Christian-majority Nagaland on Monday amid opposition by church leaders and pressure groups against the move.

State BJP president Temjen Imna Along told TOI that the former PM's ashes were immersed around 8am, without any hassle. Along said a Hindu priest did the immersion ritual in presence of BJP members majority of whom were Christians.

"While the Hindu priest performed the immersion, we as Christians prayed for the former PM. There was nothing wrong in it as we paid our homage to Vajpayee ji in accordance to our religion. There should not be any controversy in it. It is unfortunate that people are blowing the issue out of proportion," Along said.

He said that sensing trouble at a pre-selected site the venue and timing for the function was changed. BJP insiders said that some people had gathered to oppose the function, but that was averted by changing the location.

"The event was kept low-key to avoid attention. The priest did the immersion without any hassle after we changed the location," a BJP insider said.

BJP is part of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-led People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) government in Nagaland.

But the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) general secretary, Reverend Zelhou Keyho said that the BJP should have been sensitive to religious and cultural sentiments of the people of the state.

"We are not against paying homage to a personality of Vajpayee's stature. We also pray for the late PM for peace. Everyone in Nagaland would have been happy if the BJP had done it keeping the sentiment of people of the state in mind. It (ash immersion) is seen as something which is alien to the religious and cultural practices in the state," Reverend Keyho said.

Reverend Keyho said that had the BJP gone for homage paying function in memory of the former PM instead of ashes immersion the people would not have opposed. He added people started seeing the ash immersion with suspicion as it is not in the religious practices of the state.

Many church leaders in the Christian-majority state saw the ash immersion as propagation of RSS ideology.

Sources said that initially it was planned to immerse the ashes in Doyang river in Nagaland's Wokha district, but that venue had to be changed because of stiff opposition from the Lotha community organisations. The Lotha Hoho, the apex body for the community, said that it would not allow the immersion in Doyang river at it went against the religious practice of the people in Wokha.

