Nagaland has witnessed massive protests following the government's decision to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in urban local bodies. The protests by tribal bodies escalated last week and resulted in the death of two people. Several tribal bodies have called for a boycott of the government move, arguing that reservation (for women) would infringe on Naga Customary Laws and Christianity, protected under the Constitution of India.

"According to Naga Customary Law and its practices, there was no game of competition between the men and women and there is no system of sharing properties among them since time immemorial. And, according to Christianity, women were created as partnership and helper to men,” the founder president and senior adviser to the influential GB Federation of Nagaland, T L Angami, said.

He argued that the idea of women's reservation was a “violation of Christian religion doctrine as well as the Naga customary practices.” He also called on the state government to cancel the recommendation of the cabinet decision.

Meanwhile, Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation (JACWR) expressed its shock over the “stoic silence of the many churches” that have been “sloganeering for clean election”, saying it was expected from the church to be a sane Christian voice when democratic principles are laid to siege. JACWR is an umbrella organisation of many Naga outfits, which have been at the forefront of a campaign seeking the implementation of the 33 per cent women reservation since 2011.

A 90 per cent Christian state, Nagaland has never elected a woman to the legislative assembly since independence. In 1977, late Rano M Shaiza became the first and only (so far) woman member of parliament.

JACWR

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