Kohima: The Naga Hoho extended its appreciation to the Nagaland Government and Congress Legislators in the state for passing resolution in the recently concluded Nagaland Legislative Assembly referring the issue of contentious 33 per cent Women Reservation and review of Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001 to a Select Committee for review and report to the Assembly within six months.
In a statement here today Naga Hoho Assistant General Secretary Nikhrolo Khalo said that it applauded Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) for taking the matter of Women Reservation seriously in the last Budget Session of Nagaland Assembly.
‘We feel that the house have exhibited their maturity in the interest of people at large and also towards safeguarding the age old Naga traditional values that has been practiced since time immemorial. The people have been relived by the House’s decision to suspend the Municipal elections which otherwise would have created a lot of storm,” Mr Khalo said.
The statement further said that it is unpalatable to note the contention of Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation (JACWR) alleging the stand of Naga Hoho as ‘tenable and misleading’ and also to observe the statement of JACWR that’73rd and 74th Amendment of the Indian Constitution supersedes Article 371 (A) which is really ‘ambiguous’ basing on the fact that Article 371 (A) of the Indian Constitution protected basic rights of the Naga people in respect of land and its resources, traditions and customary practices.
It said that no Act of the Parliament can be imposed upon the Nagas unless the State Assembly legislate the same and therefore such statements undermines the right of the Naga people. The Naga Hoho and Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organization (ENPO) were concerned not only for the 33 per cent reservation for women, but also with the entire Section of the Municipal Act.
“We strongly feel that all the Acts which are permissible in other Indian states can not be applied in our society owing to uniqueness in nature and that we are protected under Article 371 (A) of the Indian Constitution,’ the statement said. (UNI)