Parliamentary Affairs and Power minister KG Kenye on Thursday disclosed that the state government was mulling reviving the committee that was constituted to study the implementation of Central laws in the state so that these could be implemented without infringing on the customary laws of the Naga society.
Addressing a press conference at the Legislators Home after the Assembly had passed the Nagaland Municipal Bill, 2023, which he termed as “historic”, Kenye said the government had stumbled upon very old documents in recent months when the Bill was being drafted and realised that its predecessors had already constituted a committee to study the implementation of Central laws in the state.
He admitted that the old Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001 had not gone down well with the people over the issue of election to urban local bodies (ULBs) with women reservation.
Over a period of more than two decades, he recalled that the people of the state had confronted different issues and encountered many unpleasant moments. He said the state had lost so much, including the lives of people, destruction of treasured public properties and even to the extent of a government collapsing in the past.
While successive governments had tried their best to resolve the issue, he claimed that the new government under the leadership of chief minister Neiphiu Rio had realised that it was not possible to resolve the issue as long as the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001 remained.
“We found a way to out to resolve this. We had the means as powers have been vested in this House through Article 371 (A), which remains to be a guarantee by the Government of India through the constitution to the people of Nagaland,” he explained.
Kenye claimed that the passage of the new Nagaland Municipal Bill, 2023 was a turning point in the state’s history and hoped that this would open up people’s minds to what exactly Article 371 (A) was.
He said that there was an extensive space to be explored, which the state government would do in the course of time.
Kenye was optimistic that the people would accept the new Bill as several deliberations and consultations had been held with almost everybody.
Emphasising that freedom of expression was tolerated in a democracy, he acknowledged that certain quarters could express certain reservations, though their fears were unfounded.
He stressed that in a democracy, the majority will prevailed, though he clarified that the government would not force or compel anyone to participate as a candidate or voter in the ULB election. He appealed to the voters to participate in the election voluntarily.
As the new Municipal Bill was passed a day ahead of the Supreme Court hearing, the minister hoped that the apex court would dispose the case.
Asked why the government had been consulting tribal bodies and civil society organisations (CSOs) on the matter, he replied that Nagaland was different in comparison to other states as it was born out of a political agreement.
He mentioned that the tribal bodies took the initiative to bring about an agreement with the Central government in 1960, making them a part and parcel of the present government.
He claimed that the government wanted to keep that spirit of joint ownership where everyone had a sense of ownership.
“Today, they have equal responsibility in the welfare of the people. Our way of life is such that we have consultations from the village level for any issue. So, at the government level, we want to practise this because it is our way of life,” he elaborated.
However, Kenye firmly stated that the state government was not subject to anybody’s approval or permission. He clarified that the government continued the practice of holding consultative meetings with the hope to take the entire society along.
He further informed that the government would take time to conduct delimitation exercise to divide the rural and urban areas as it was a sensitive matter, adding that the state election commissioner would notify the electoral process.
Asked if women were consulted during the process of enacting the new Bill, Kenye said before the apex tribal bodies entered into talks with the government, it was presumed that discussions with their ancillary organisations, including women bodies, were held.
On the issue of taxation, Kenye pointed out that with the exclusion of tax on land and buildings, the public would have to pay for other revenues in the form of service and maintenance charges for the upkeep of the towns and municipalities.
No misunderstanding over ENPO issue
Meanwhile, the minister clarified that there was no misunderstanding over the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation’s (ENPO) demands. He said that it was with the state government’s approval and recommendation that the ENPO issue was taken up, adding that the state government had never stood in the way and continuously supported the talks.
However, he admitted that the state was kept in the dark for long, forcing the people to start questioning where the talks were headed.
He asserted that every inch of eastern Nagas belonged to the people who were bona fide citizens of the state, adding that whatever happened to the citizens should concern everyone in the state.
Kenye mentioned that the ENPO had come forward to seek the blessings of the chief minister and to know what could be the possible outcome of the ongoing talks. He said the state was not prepared with an answer immediately as to what it should be.
He pointed out that being a seasoned politician, Rio understood the people. He said the issue was not political, but rather economic in terms of development, health, education and more that were required to be addressed.
While the demands put forward might not be fully implementable, he commented that there were good reasons behind the ENPO’s demands.
On the issue of delay in the talks, he speculated that this could be due to the ENPO seeking too much from the Centre or that the Central government had given them too much false hopes.
Asked who was to be blamed for the delay, Kenye replied that the state government only acted as the mediator and neutral force, urging both parties to take a look at the reality and see what was possible on ground.
Meanwhile, the minister also urged the ENPO to take part in the forthcoming Hornbill Festival, stressing on the need for an inclusive participation of all tribes.