DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 3 (MExN): The NPCC’s media cell has issued a release holding the NPF-led DAN government “cent percent responsible for 33% women reservation imbroglio”. NPCC has also alleged that the government has an “ulterior motive” in postponing the Municipal and Town Council elections. The DAN government has exploited only the negative aspects of Article 371A, using it to “check-mate the fairer sex” due to their “bankruptcy of ideas”. The “trust deficit” between the NPF-led DAN government and Naga women will lead to more “distrust” said the NPCC.
Thus, stated the NPCC release, the people of Nagaland need a more courageous government and that the “topsy turvy” NPF should be voted out in the next election.
Their narrow outlook is apparent from Parliamentary Secretary and Chairman of Select Committee, Yitachu’s clarification, according to the NPCC.
According to Yitachu, one third of total seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) that includes both men and women. Therefore, men and women are same person irrespective of sex, and Part IXA of the constitution amounts to quota within quota; i.e. from one third of the total seats reserved for ST.
The NPCC points out that Nagaland, in itself, is a notified ST state, so “where’s the question of ST reservation in Nagaland?”
According to Yitachu, rural women and urban women are same person irrespective of their places of domicile. The NPCC has asked for an explanation, then, on “why there exist separate Acts for rural and urban local bodies”.
The Chairman of Select Committee had said “Part IXA and Article 243D of the constitution violates Article 371A as it impinges upon the very basic principles of Article 371A”. With respect to this, the NPCC wonders why he is “afraid to say straight that Naga customary practice in the past did not allow women to participate in decision making bodies; that, the village council was an all-male affair body and that, they intent to uphold the tradition no matter what the advancement?”
Pointing out the hypocritical discrimination against women in Naga society, especially by men, NPCC brings up the question as to why the DAN government didn’t seek public opinion before. “Part XIA which gives a constitutional foundation to the local self-government units in urban areas came into force on June 6, 1993. The Nagaland Municipal (First Amendment) Bill was passed in 2006 by inserting Section 23A to give 33% reservation of seats for women in urban local bodies. Between 2003 and 2006, the DAN government had ample time to seek public opinion on the matter.”
If the Nagas felt that it infringed upon Article 371A, before tabling the Nagaland Municipal (First amendment) Bill in 2006, Part IXA and Article 243D of the Constitution 73rd & 74th amendment “should have been debated and contested both within and outside the house” stated the NPCC. The NLA had unanimously passed the amendment bill in 2006. The NPCC alleges that the DAN government has back-tracked from it. Instead of taking the opposition bench into confidence, “they decided to elicit public opinion following objection from certain quarters”.
The government, as per NPCC, had an ulterior motive to postpone elections, and “the court cases came as blessings in disguise for them or as expected in the scheme of things because by then, the Municipal and Town Councils election and women reservation issue were inseparable by the Hon’ble court’s injunction”.
The court battle caused many inconveniences to the State. “The long drawn court battle caused much inconveniences in terms of money, time and energy. It caused colossal loss to the State exchequer. It caused social disharmony by creating gender divide. It derailed the constitutional process by having failed to conduct the Municipal & Town councils election due since January/February 2010. The people of Nagaland have been deprived of their civic rights.”
For this, said the NPCC, responsible citizens should sue the DAN government.
The DAN government has 36 NPF and 6 independent legislators and was in a good position to take bold political steps. “They have lost the opportunity,” stated the release.
