Ao Senden says no to ULB election in Nagaland till Municipal Act is amended

Mokokchung: The Ao Senden has rejected the recent notification issued by the State Election Commission on the conduct of elections to the municipal and town councils (ULB), terming it as ‘imperious and domineering act’.

In a press release, the Ao Senden stated that the notification is not only against the wishes of the people but also dictatorial in nature.

It was resolved during its executive council meeting on Monday that it would stand by its memorandum submitted to the government of Nagaland in 2017, to amend the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 before holding the ULB election.

In order to protect and preserve the constitutional rights of the Naga people as enshrined in the Constitution of India, it was resolved that no ULB election will be allowed to be conducted in Ao region unless and until the Municipal Act 2001 is amended, it said.

The Ao Senden also resolved that in the event of the ULB election being overbearingly forced upon the people in its current form, every Ao citizen shall be barred from participating in it to safeguard the greater interest and rights of the Naga people.

In its memorandum dated May 30 2017, which was submitted to the Municipal Affairs department, the Ao Senden had suggested to amend Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, arguing that, unlike other states in India, ownership and possessory rights of the land in Nagaland are quite different, which needs appropriate laws that suit the ownership rights. It added that paying of taxes or revenue is not applicable in Naga society.

Ao Senden stated that the rights guaranteed under Article 371(A) clause 1-4 cannot be taken away by any Act of Parliament. The NLA has the absolute right to make laws thereof, therefore, the new laws should be enacted suited to our societies, it added.

It also suggested that the new Municipal Act should be as simple as Town Committee Rules, 1954, where power is delegated to the respective municipalities to make rules of its own.

It went on to state that the section about reservation of seats from women should be deleted from the Act and the same be replaced by nominations with voting rights.