CoRRP withdraws boycott call of govt programmes after Nagaland cabinet accepts key demands

Kohima, Oct 20 (PTI) The Five Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CoRRP) on Monday withdrew its call for boycott of all state government functions following the Nagaland cabinet’s decision to accept its key demands.

The committee, comprising five major Naga tribes — Ao, Angami, Lotha, Rengma and Sumi — had been demanding the renaming of the Job Reservation Commission to the Commission for Review of Reservation Policy, and an expansion of its terms of reference beyond job-related matters, which was accepted by the government on October 16.

In a press release, CoRRP convenor Tesinlo Semy and member secretary GK Zhimomi said the they took the decision to revoke the boycott call after a meeting where representatives of all five tribe bodies and their frontal units participated.

"The decision of the cabinet aligns with the representation it had submitted to the state government on September 24, calling for a broader review mechanism to examine the reservation policy across sectors," they said.

The committee thanked the government for honouring its concerns and confirmed that all five apex tribe bodies under it are ready to extend full cooperation to the newly renamed commission "as and when asked for." "The meeting welcomed and appreciated the decision of the state cabinet. The CoRRP and the five apex tribe bodies are ready to extend full cooperation to the commission," the statement said.

The committee also officially declared that the boycott of all state government functions and activities, which had been in force since August 15, now stands withdrawn.

The push to review Nagaland’s more than four decades old reservation policy intensified after the five tribal apex bodies under the banner of the 5-Tribes CoRRP submitted a joint memorandum to the state government.

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.

Pressing for fulfillment of their demand, the committee conducted at least two phases of agitation – first on May 29 in the form of protest rallies across multiple district headquarters (Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung, Wokha, Tseminyu, Zunheboto, Chümoukedima, Niuland).

The second phase was on July 9, thousands of people from the tribes staged a protest outside the Civil Secretariat.

It has also declared non-cooperation with the government and did not participate in Independence Day celebrations.

While the government had accepted CoRRP demand for review of reservation policy and announced formation of a five-member Job Reservation Committee, they asked the nomenclature be changed to Reservation Review Commission saying that their demand is not for job reservation but also other areas of reservation existing in the state.

Initially, 25 per cent reservation was allocated for seven tribes in non-technical and non-gazetted posts for a period of 10 years. These tribes were designated as ‘backward’ based on educational and economic disadvantages, and limited representation in state services.

Over the years, the reservation has increased to 37 per cent comprising 25 per cent for seven Eastern Nagaland Backward Tribes and 12 per cent for four other backward tribes of the state. PTI NBS NBS MNB