The committee would be in meeting with all recognized tribal hohos, women hohos, the Naga Students’ Federation and representative of the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation. The assembly secretariat informed that two representatives each from the civil organizations are “invited to express their views on the matter”. The meeting being called over an important issue, all concerned civil organizations are requested to attend positively.
The January 29 meeting over the issue will be the third such, after last year’s two inconclusive all-party meetings over the women reservation bill. Last year on October 3, an all-political party meeting in was held but was unable to come to any clear solution on the 33 percent Reservation for Women in civic bodies.
However, reliable sources had disclosed that most of those who attended were in favor of women reservation “in concept”. It was decided in the meeting that the issue would have to be discussed within the respective political parties before implementation.
Again on November 25, the Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly convened a consultative meeting with all recognized political parties in Nagaland.
Subsequently, a committee for “wider consultations” over the women reservation bill was put in place by the Speaker. Apparently pointing to possible differences between the parties over the issue or implementing women reservation, the “All Political Parties Consultative committee” was instated for “wider consultation” with “various sections of the Naga society” and to “examine” its “applicability” in Nagaland. The committee had convened a “preliminary” meeting of the newly-instated committee on December 12.