Group behind quota stir sever ties with parent body
NAGA LOCAL POLLS 2 women’s group quit organisation last week
GUWAHATI: The crisis over women’s quota in Nagaland may have been resolved temporarily with resignation of TR Zeliang and swearing in of Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the new chief minister on Wednesday.
However, Nagaland Mothers Association (NMA), which spearheaded the movement for 33% reservation for women in urban local bodies (ULBs), is still facing problems.
On Tuesday, a day prior to Liezietsu’s swearing in, the Chakesang Mothers Association (CMA), the apex body of women from the Chakesang tribe, dissociated from Nagaland Mothers Association.
In a press release, CMA president Zaposhelu Venuh said that though they acknowledged and honoured NMA for its work on women rights, they distanced themselves from the organisation due to the crisis related to ULB polls.
Two more women organisations from the Angami and Sumi tribes — Angamimiaphu Mechu Krotho (AMK) and Sumi Totimi Hoho — had also dissociated from NMA in the past three weeks.
The move followed directions from men-dominated tribal organisations opposed to women reservation. Nagaland’s 16 major tribes have their own traditional organisations of which the women bodies are part. “It is due to pressure from our brothers. Those under pressure, dissociated for the time being,” said NMA advisor and founder president Sano Vamuzo.
Formed in 1984 to fight against social ills, NMA played crucial role in bringing rebel outfits to peace talks, fought against menace of drugs and stigmatisation of HIV infected people.
According to NMA’s constitution, every Naga woman is automatically considered a member. Their efforts have earned the organisation accolades within and outside the state, but their fight for women reservation is opposed by tribal bodies.
Besides asking the women organisations to distance themselves from NMA, tribal bodies had earlier threatened to excommunicate candidates contesting the urban local bodies polls.
There was also pressure on Democratic Alliance of Nagaland MLAs to withdraw support to CM TR Zeliang, failing which they would have been prevented from visiting their constituencies. Tribal organisations feel reservation for women will violate provisions of Article 371A of the Constitution, which grants special status to Nagaland for preservation of customary laws.
Since women groups led by NMA had filed a special leave petition in Supreme Court seeking directions to the state government to hold urban local bodies polls with reservation for women, tribal bodies hold them responsible.