Reservation row: Nagaland's Five-Tribes Committee to boycott state events, including I-Day
The announcement followed a three-hour closed-door meeting in Kohima between the committee and the apex bodies of the Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma, and Sema tribes.
A file image of Five-Tribes Committee Nagaland. (Photo: 'X')
Kohima, Aug 9: The Five-Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CORRP) on Saturday said it will boycott all state government events, including the upcoming Independence Day celebrations, in protest against the composition of the commission formed to review Nagaland’s reservation policy.
The announcement followed a three-hour closed-door meeting in Kohima between the committee and the apex bodies of the Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma, and Sema tribes.
Addressing the media after the meeting, CORRP convener Tesinlo Semy said that while the committee appreciates the government’s move to form a review commission, it “strongly opposes” the current composition of the panel.
"The inclusion of civil society organisations (CSOs) 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.
PTI