File Photo: Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) public rally to press for creation of ‘Frontier Nagaland’.Credit: PTI File Photo
An organisation seeking statehood in Nagaland has accepted the Centre’s offer for a “unique arrangement with executive, legislative, and financial autonomy” for the Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT).
The FNT is an alternative to statehood that the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) demanded more than a decade ago for the Naga tribes of six ‘backward’ districts in the State’s eastern part.
The ENPO said the decision to accept the offer was taken after a December 13 meeting it had with the Central and State government representatives in New Delhi. Home Secretary Govin Mohan led the Central team.
A similar tripartite meeting was held on August 13 in Guwahati.
“During the tripartite meeting, the ENPO delegation made its unwavering stand very clear that the demand of the people of eastern Nagaland is for a separate statehood ‘Frontier Nagaland’. However, the ENPO having considered the difficulties of the Government of India at the present juncture decided to temporarily accept the offer of FNT, a unique arrangement with executive, legislative and financial autonomy,” the organisation said in a statement.
The “significant progress” in the talks made the stakeholders decide to have the next tripartite meeting by the second week of January to deliberate on some unresolved issues.
“With the ongoing negotiation on FNT at an advanced stage, the ENPO is optimistic that the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not fail in fulfilling the proposed offer of FNT in the interest of the people of eastern Nagaland,” the statement said.
The ENPO was confident that Home Minister Amit Shah and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio would honour their statements made ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections that the ENPO issues would be “materialised” with full cooperation from the Nagaland government if the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party combine retained power in the State.
The ENPO lauded the State government for giving its comments, as sought by the Centre, on the highlights of the FNT draft which paved the way for the December 13 meeting. It also appreciated a committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs for its “utmost sincerity and commitment to fulfil the aspirations of the people of eastern Nagaland without further delay.”
The ENPO is the apex organisation of tribes inhabiting the Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator, and Tuensang districts. It showed its seriousness about self-rule by boycotting Nagaland’s 60th Statehood Day celebration in 2023 and the Lok Sabha elections and the civic polls in 2024 because of the “non-fulfilment” of its demands.
