Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 15
Clearly unhappy that the state government acceded to the demand of six so-asserted “eastern” tribes for 25% job reservation but ignored others the Pochury, Zelaingrong and Chakhesang students have threatened to take an own course of action if the three are not given their due. The policy has clearly placed the Nagas in two categories, it is asserted.
A joint letter to the Chief Minister from the Pochury Students’ Union, Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland and Chakhesang Students’ Union took strong exception that the government should ignore the other backward tribes. They have demanded equal and fair reservation to achieve the “ideals of BT reservation policy.” The existing reservation policy have placed the Naga tribes in two simple categories ‘advanced’ and ‘backward’ and further, there is also no provision in the policy to further divide the tribes under the same category until such time the policy is overhauled, the aggrieved communities lamented. The students expressed their resentment that the demand for total review of the 33% reservation in respect of the nine backward tribes was ignored even while acceding to the demands of the “eastern” communities.
The PSU, CSU and ZSUN reminded the state government that it is not at all fair to categorize the entire citizens of a linguistic division or tribe as ‘backward’ or ‘advanced’ without considering the grass-root situation and empirical realities. The students highlighted their perspective that the 33% policy for nine BTs in Nagaland remains without major periodical review for the last three decades. It has been without review to update in consonance with changing realities to fully realize the policy’s target and help the tribes that are educationally and economically backward. They should be significantly represented in the state services so they too can come at par with the “advanced tribes,” the letter stated. “The target of the policy is to remove backwardness in phase-wise manner whereby the 33% job reservation is reduced and elevated to the advanced category with periodical review; the latest decision of the cabinet to rise the backward quota is just the reverse; the attempt is seemingly targeted towards achieving 100% backwardness in the near future” the students stated.
The students also reminded that the reservation needs thorough review to address anomalies and discrepancies with the change of time. The state commission should be directed to investigate conditions of socially and educationally backward classes and examine the grass-root situation of different areas in the state so as to deliver fairness and justice to citizens” it stated. The decision of the state government cannot override the Fundamental Rights of its citizens. All relevant factors should be taken into consideration in order to ‘decide the backwardness’ of a particular class and ‘not on the ground of political mileage’ it added.
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