Kohima: Following a crucial consultative meeting of the tribal hohos of Nagaland on Monday, a 7-point resolution was adopted questioning the applicability of the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, and threatening to boycott the May 16 Urban Local Body (ULB) elections if their demands are not met.
The meeting, which was held at the Commissioner’s Guest House in Kohima, observed that the “Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 is a burrowed Act” and so in the context of the Naga people, any part/section of the Act that infringes Article 371-A should be “reviewed and rewritten” in complete consonance with the voice of the Naga people.
The word “omission/omitted” used in the subsequent amendments of the Act, with regard to “Land and Building Taxation”, “Scheduled Caste” and in sections wherever they occur, it said, should be totally substituted with the word “deletion/deleted”.
The tribal hohos also said that reservation of the office of the chairperson for women is a deprivation provision to the rightful candidate and is “unacceptable”.
“The office of the chairperson by reservation or by rotation should be totally revoked/annulled so that the elected members can elect the right candidate who is a Scheduled Tribe Indigenous Inhabitant of Nagaland to the office of the chairperson from among themselves, be it a man or woman, democratically,” it said.
Another resolution was that the Government of Nagaland should give a “clean chit/guarantee” to the people of Nagaland that “33% women reservation” does not infringe Article 371-A before conducting the Urban Local Body elections.
The tribal hohos also demanded the government to clearly specify the tenures or the time duration of the application of 33% women reservation. The hohos suggested that the duration of the application of 33% women reservation should not exceed more than two tenures.
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“Until and unless the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 is reviewed and rewritten, the ULB election may be deferred. If the government fails to adhere to the demands, the tribal hohos shall be compelled to boycott the ULB elections,” it said.
However, if the demands are timely fulfilled, the tribal hohos have assured of their fullest cooperation to the government in the conduct of the ULB polls.
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