Kohima: The Committee on Review Reservation Policy (CoRRP) – representing five major Naga tribes – on Thursday announced the resumption of the second phase of agitation over its demand for review of the state’s job reservation policy.
The Committee, which represents Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma, and Sumi tribes, has argued that the quota system for 11 “backward” Naga tribes, in place since 1977, no longer reflects the prevailing socio-economic and educational landscape of the region. The list includes seven tribes inhabiting eastern Nagaland.
The push for a review of Nagaland’s job reservation policy intensified after the five major tribal bodies, under the banner of the ‘5-Tribe CoRRP’, submitted a joint memorandum to the state government.
G.K. Zhimomi, member-secretary of the committee, said, “The protest will be for a day. We will take further steps depending on how the government responds.” He clarified that the committee was “not against any tribe benefiting from the reservation policy” but maintained that “a review of this 48-year-old policy is long overdue.”
Zhimomi said the government had failed to initiate a review in 1987 and instead issued an order in 1989 stating that the reservation would continue until further notice.
The committee had earlier served a 30-day ultimatum to the Neiphiu Rio-led government on April 26, following a memorandum submitted on September 20, 2024, seeking a revision of the quota framework.
The group launched an initial phase of protest, which was suspended after Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton convened a meeting on June 3 and assured that a commission would be set up by June 17 to examine the matter.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, on July 2, said that the proposed commission could not be expected to deliver immediate results, describing the task as “very detailed.”
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Rio also stated that any significant administrative reforms, including those related to reservations or delimitation, should be undertaken only after the national Census exercise scheduled for 2027.
The committee wasn’t happy with the government’s stance, so they’ve decided to relaunch their agitation.
