CHAKHESANG STUDENTS’ UNION
PRESS RELEASE
The attention of the Chakhesang Students’ Union is drawn to the Social and Print Media reports on the statement of the Hon’ble Deputy CM, Y Patton during CNTC function that “the Chakhesangs are more advance than the Ao, Lotha and the Sumis and therefore, the Chakhesang tribe should be removed from the BT reservation”. The careless and irresponsible statement of the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister questioning the policy of his own Government is shocking and unbelievable.
The Backward Tribe Reservation policy was created by the state based on the information available before the policy makers and legislated by the Assembly. The BT reservation policy has mandatory provisions for periodical review after every 10 years but it was the failure of the successive Governments that the policy could not be reviewed and updated so that deserving section/sections of the community get full benefits.
The state had put all the Backward Tribe Reservation Committee reports namely, “Banuo Committee Report – 2008”, the “Kevichusa Committee Report – 2010” and the “Temjen Toy Committee Report – 2010” in cold storage and their findings were never brought before the Assembly for review nor amendment and therefore, the BT reservation policy had failed to live up to its objectives till today.
Rather than reviewing the out dated policy, the state has been arbitrarily modifying the reservation guidelines to suit its political interest violating all the established norms of quota distributions at the same time creating arbitrary roster policy.
The CSU appreciate the State Government for creating 33% job reservation that has benefited the community immensely for the last five decades. However, excepting job reservation benefits, the Chakhesang Tribe is deprived from all other benefits such as Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) which was extended to all the BTs and some advance tribes except the Chakhesangs.
Further, the benefits such as Special grants, Border Area Development Fund and other packages meant for BTs are denied to the Chakhesangs. Furthermore, the Chakhesangs are the only tribe among the BTs to be excluded from DUDA. Surprisingly, in the last teachers recruitment as well, the Chakhesangs are the only tribe among the BTs that has been segregated and isolated for reason best known to the Government.
On the question of been more advance than the Ao, Lotha and Sumis, the CSU requires to know on what basis he has made such utterances particularly targeting the Chakhesang Community inciting the CNTC constituent units.
The State Government, from time to time have been modifying the BT reservation policy without reasonable application of mind and bending on the pressure to appease sections of people through unending consultations and for political conveniences away from facts and statistics provided by the expert Committee/Commissions whereby generating sub-standard guidelines devoid of merit and equitable distribution as per the laid down policies.
The present Executive notifications are in total contravention to the reservation policy and violative of the Supreme Court guidelines that sub-classification of the already classified group is bad in law and there cannot be reservations within the reserved category.
As a student organization, we consider the statement of Deputy CM as an ill intent to create division among the Naga society on tribal line and such dirty intent should be condemned by all intellectual students’ organization and right thinking citizens of the State to avoid further cracks in the Naga society.
(AVEZO KEVIN KAPU), President
(PEI KEZO), General Secretary
May 16, 2022
