Delimitation only after seat increase, says Wangyuh
Dimapur, Oct 14 (MExN): Lok Sabha MP from Nagaland W Wangyuh Konyak demanded that state assembly seats be increased before delimitation is implemented. He made it clear that without increasing the seats in the state assembly, implementing 33% seat-reservation will not be acceptable by the people of Nagaland, because “in the Naga society even without reservation, any woman can contest from any constituency if there is a winning chance.”
Wangyuh was attending the all-party meeting on delimitation convened by the Centre on October 13 where he stated that the question of delimitation does not arise in the case of Nagaland until Lok Sabha and assembly seats are increased.
If the centre so desired to implement the delimitation Act 2002 in Nagaland, seats should first be increased and the undertake the delimitation exercise. Otherwise it would have no meaning “except creation of misunderstanding amongst the people since Nagaland has lone Lok Sabha MP”, a bulletin quoted the MP as asserting.
He further stated that even population criteria are implemented selectively. Nagaland has got special privileges under the Constitution under Article 371 (A). “However we find that even the ordinary protection of equality before the law and equal protection of laws as enshrined in Article 14 of the constitution is denied to us.
The existing balance and harmony amongst the tribals who constitute more than 90% of the population will be disturbed by the present policy. The only remedy available is to increase the number of seats of Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha and Assembly and distribute the seats according to population of 2001 census” he stated.
Wangyuh also mentioned in the meeting that he had moved a bill in the Lok Sabha to exempt Nagaland from the Act, which is now pending in the Law Ministry. He also said that Nagaland is home to various Naga tribes each with their own distinct traditional boundaries on the basis of which the existing district and assembly constituency boundaries were largely demarcated. In view of these factors, a fresh delimitation exercise involving transfer of seats from one tribal district to another will be a complicated and sensitive exercise, he sad.
