The State Government of Nagaland has been fighting with the Delimitation Commission of India, New Delhi for exemption of Nagaland State from the purview of the Delimitation Act, 2002 (amended in 2003) and allow the State to remain status quo on various unrealistic and baseless grounds. The Government of Nagaland tried to mislead the Commission by presenting distorted facts on the ground realities and the wishes of Naga society. Now caught in the wrong footing, the State Government has given up of its own the demands of exemption from the implementation of the Delimitation Act and status quo. In desperation it has issued its own working papers, vide letter no. EL/R/DEL/1-12/2002 (part) dated 17/1/2007 which was leaked out to the public only in the middle of March 2007 which has generated adverse impact and opposition from all civil societies of Nagas in all the districts of Nagaland even down to the village organizations. On the other hand, the tribal Hoho leaders of Wokha, Peren, Kiphire, Longleng and Rengmas are camping in New Delhi to plead their cause for full implementation of the Delimitation Act. They have a series of meetings with the Chairman of the Delimitation Commission.
Now, since the state government has given up on its own their demand from exemption and status quo and opted for an unacceptable proposal of readjustment of Assembly seats within the districts without consulting some of the Ministers and MLAs who supported the demands for exemption and status quo, it is high time for the MLAs of the affecting districts like Longleng, Kiphire, Wokha and Peren to voice out and speak in support of the demand of their Hoho leaders for obtaining their entitlements of Assembly seats as worked out by the Delimitation Commission where district-wise allocation of Assembly seats on the basis of 2001 census figures.
K R Murry
Advisor to the Lotha Hoho, Wokha
