It was like a hush-hush mission, even by media standards when the recent visit by a six-member team under the banner of an NGO was not reported. The six-member team comprising of former union Home secretary G.K. Pillai, Dr. Sanjoy Hazarika, Patricia Mukhim, Roshmi Goswami, Dr. Vikas Kumar and Preeti Gil arrived Dimapur on April 19 for a two-day informal meet with different Naga civil society organisations.
The Nagaland based NGOs were given a few days information and many confided that they were unable to prepare any comprehensive response for what was believed to be fathoming the main line taken against 33% women reservation by the Naga apex tribe organisations and civil society groups.
It was informed that the team reportedly met Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC), Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC), Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and Nagaland Tribes Action Committee (NTAC) and other organisations in separate meetings.
Some members of apex tribe organisations disclosed that the team had arrived well prepared about the names of persons and organisations which had been in the news over the recent turmoil over ULB elections.
During the meeting, the sources said the visiting team maintained that they were not representing any organisation or government and that the visit was “purely on personal interest”. Sources added that the team came to “diagnose actually what had happen in Nagaland.”
However, with the mainstream national media being one-sided in slamming Naga tribes for perceived ‘anti-women bias’ vis-à-vis 33% women reservation; interactions with some gave an inkling that the visit was along the same line.
According to sources, in a meeting some representatives of the Naga civil society organisations made it clear to the visiting team that Naga men were not against Naga women contrary to some ‘feminists and anti-Naga customary law activists’. The leaders of tribe organisations had shared anguish over the perceived ignorance about the law by most the elected members when confronted with such issues as reservation that had legal implications. Taking a dig at the politicians, one of them replied: “If one has lots of money in Nagaland, that person can become a politician.” The potholed and deplorable roads did not escape mention from the team during the interactions.
Some of those who interacted with the visiting team felt that with the Supreme Court yet to decide on substituting the petitioners with People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) against the government of Nagaland in the matter regarding 33% women reservation in ULBs; the visit assumed significance.
Sources said apart from reservation in ULB elections and other issues confronting the Naga society, the visiting team also discussed Naga Peace Talk and the ‘Framework Agreement’ signed between NSCN (I-M) and government of India on 3 August 2015.