DIMAPUR, January 5 (MExN): The Nagaland Tribes Council today urged the Nagaland State Government to review the “erroneous INSERT IGNOREion” of 33% women reservation and conduct fresh election without reservation at the earliest.
A press note from the NTC stated that it is “disheartened to see the much awaited municipality is again facing a murky situation because of insensible and shabby handling by the government of the day.”
“There are no two opinions to say that the women reservation policy is alien to Naga Culture. Reservation policy in India is meant for down trodden people in the society. Whereas, there is no practice as such that random depravation basing on gender in Naga Society.
The position and status are rated and ascribed according to ones capacity and achievements. Therefore, the make believe of certain section as depraved or discriminate is an offence and against our custom. The very concept of reservation is self defeating because it rather leads to stigmatization of those sections as lesser souls,” the NTC stated.
The decision to hold election amidst “strong people’s opposition,” it said is “an imposition which will never carry the people’s mandate.”
Women reservation, the NTC stated is “against our time tested custom and tradition,” and cautioned that if introduced would infringe Article 371 A of the constitution “whereby the Nagas of Nagaland are provided with full guarantee to govern as per our custom and tradition.”
No amount of justification, it added, “will compensate the depravation of our rights and custom at this moment.”
