The Nagaland Transparency Public Rights Advocacy & Direct Action Organization (People’s Justice) [NTPRADAO–PJ] has extended its full support to the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) comprising CANSSEA, FONSESA, NIDA, NSSA, and NF&ASA in their ongoing pen down strike.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, NTPRADAO (People’s Justice) stated that it “unequivocally and strongly supports” the JCC’s decision to continue the agitation following the cabinet sub-committee’s failure to arrive at a logical conclusion on the issue.
The organization described the JCC’s demands regarding the alleged selection of non-SCS officers into the All India Administrative Service (IAS) as “absolutely and logically very genuine.” It expressed concern that the government’s move undermines merit and the prestige associated with the IAS.
“The NTPRADAO (PJ) wonders how the incumbent Nagaland State government has stooped so low in thinking of allowing a below-standard and below-bar backdoor appointee into pan India’s toughest examination-oriented service,” it stated, adding that such actions “make a mockery of the IAS before the public and the larger Indian society.”
The statement also criticized certain “original NTPRADAO signatories” for “not doing enough” to support the JCC’s cause. It asserted that the “People’s Justice” wing “is willing to burn its finger for a just cause no matter what the consequences.”
Assuring its commitment to the movement, NTPRADAO (PJ) said it would provide “logistical support of one hundred volunteers for any kind of strike, agitation, or protest till the JCC mission is totally accomplished,” though it acknowledged that the current phase of the protest remains confined to government offices.
Expressing disappointment at the silence of Naga civil society organizations and intellectuals, the group stated it was “shocked and flabbergasted” by their lack of public support. It cautioned that failure to act now could allow “third class and third rated backdoor appointees” to overtake qualified youths in the future.
“The fight is about future Naga generations and their justice system and long-term welfare,” the release concluded.
