Nagaland: 5 tribes to stay away from govt functions amid fiasco over reservation policy

KOhima, Expressing torture o'er the paper of the direction that has been formed to critique Nagaland's reservation policy, the Five-Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy on Saturday announced that it will abstain from all state government functions, including the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. The decision was announced after a three-hour-long closed-door meeting held in Kohima between the Five-Tribes Committee and the apex bodies of Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma and Sema tribes. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, CORRP convener Tesinlo Semy said that while the committee acknowledges the government's initiative to set up a commission to review the reservation policy, it strongly opposes the composition of the commission. "The inclusion of civil society organisations compromises their independence and impartiality," Semy said. He said the committee demands a commission comprised entirely of government officials, be they serving or retired bureaucrats, for an unbiased review. CORRP member secretary GK Zhimomi emphasised that the committee had never demanded the review commission, but it was the outcome of a June 3 meeting with the state government, led by Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton. "The commission must be independent. Including CSOs in a decision-making body that is meant to objectively assess the reservation policy undermines its fairness," he claimed. Responding to recent remarks by a state minister who claimed that 64 per cent of government jobs are held by the five advanced tribes while more than 10 backwards tribes account for only 34 per cent of government employees, Zhimomi claimed the figures are "wildly imaginary". He asserted that CORRP has its "own data", which will be released at an appropriate time. On the question of dialogue with tribes currently benefiting from the backwards quota, CORRP maintained that such consultations are the responsibility of the government-appointed commission. "The government must gather views from all sides and come up with a fair solution," he said. If the government attempts to link the implementation of the commission's recommendations to the outcome of the national census, CORRP would demand suspension of the current reservation policy until then, he added. "This is not a boycott, but a conscious decision of non-participation," Zhimomi said. The push for a review of Nagaland’s reservation policy intensified after the five tribal apex bodies under the banner of CORRP submitted a joint memorandum to the state government recently. They argued that the policy, which has been in place since 1977, no longer reflects the current socio-economic and educational realities of the various communities in the state. The committee held demonstrations in various districts on May 29 and July 9. Initially, 25 per cent reservation was allocated for seven tribes in non-technical and non-gazetted posts for a period of 10 years. These tribes were designated as ‘backwards’ based on educational and economic disadvantages, and limited representation in state services. Over the years, the reservation increased to 37 per cent, comprising 25 per cent for seven Eastern Nagaland Backwards Tribes and 12 per cent for four other backwards tribes of the state. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.