Eastern Nagaland temporarily accepts Centre's autonomy proposal in 6 districts

Naga organisation ENPO, which has been demanding a separate state comprising six eastern districts of Nagaland, on Monday said it has “temporarily” accepted the Centre’s proposal for a mechanism in which the region will be granted a certain level of autonomy.

The proposal for setting up Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) was conveyed to the representatives of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) during a tripartite meeting held on December 13 in New Delhi.

“The ENPO delegation made its unwavering stand very clear that the demand of the people of Eastern Nagaland is for a separate state ‘Frontier Nagaland’.

“However, the ENPO having considered the difficulties of the Government of India at the present juncture had decided to temporarily accept the offer of the Centre for FNT, a unique arrangement with executive, legislative and financial autonomy,” the organisation said in a statement here.

The statement signed by ENPO president Chingmak Chang and general secretary M Honang Konyak expressed optimism that the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not fail in fulfilling the proposed offer of FNT in the interest of the people of eastern Nagaland.

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The next round of tripartite meeting involving the Centre, the state government and ENPO would be held by the second week of January to deliberate over some unresolved issues.

The last meeting was convened following discussions between the ENPO and a Home Ministry committee on August 13 in Guwahati, the statement said.

The ENPO also expressed confidence that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio will honour their declarations made last year that once the NDPP-BJP government comes to power in Nagaland, the issues of the six districts of eastern Nagaland will be addressed.

These districts – Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator, and Tuensang – are home to eight tribes – Chang, Konyak, Phom, Tikhir, Sangtam, Yimkhiung, Khiamniungan and also a section of Sema.

The state Cabinet on October 30 deliberated on the pending demand of ENPO, an apex body of the six districts in the eastern region of the state, for creation of the FNT.

Alleging that the eastern Nagaland areas have been neglected in all sectors since Nagaland state was created in 1963, the ENPO has been demanding statehood since 2010.

Pressing for its demand, the organisation boycotted the Lok Sabha and Urban Local Body polls this year.