Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, SEP 5 (NPN): Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) president A Chingmak Chang has expressed cautious acceptance of the revised Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill, 2026, passed unanimously by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on September 3, saying the organisation was satisfied with it “to some extent”.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of an ambulance distribution programme under MPLADS here Saturday, Chang said the group had already accepted the “third option” under the agreement, under which the FNTA arrangement would be reviewed after 10 years.
On the proposed financial package, including the reported demand for Rs 10,000 crore, Chang said the decision rested with the Centre. He clarified that no such financial package had been approved by the Central government so far.
Regarding the timeline for the Bill to become fully functional, Chang said there was no fixed timeline as the legislation was still undergoing the prescribed process. He explained that after being passed by the Cabinet and the Assembly, the Bill would be forwarded to the Governor, who could either give assent or reserve it for consideration by the President of India.
On the way forward under the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), Chang said the agreement would remain the primary focus, describing it as akin to a “constitution” for the arrangement.
He stressed that merely passing legislation would not be sufficient unless its implementation was properly monitored. He proposed constitution of a Joint Monitoring Committee comprising the ENPO, Government of Nagaland, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India and the FNTA.
According to Chang, the proposed committee would monitor implementation and periodically review the progress of the arrangement.
Recalling the disagreement over the first Bill introduced in March, Chang said the main contention at that time was the absence of legislative autonomy.
He said the State government had initially maintained that it could not grant legislative autonomy, while the FNTA had maintained that it would not accept or sign any arrangement deviating from the provisions of the MoA. He said the State government subsequently undertook legal and constitutional consultations, including discussions with the MHA, following which it decided to provide legislative autonomy to the FNTA in respect of the “transferred subjects”.
“We stand by what is in the MoA,” he said, adding that the FNT was agreeable to the State government’s latest position.
ENPO thanks Centre, State govt for passage of FNTA Bill
Meanwhile, ENPO has expressed profound gratitude to the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of Nagaland and all stakeholders following the historic passage of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill, 2026, in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on September 3.
In a press communiqué, the ENPO said the FNTA was within the State of Nagaland with legislative, executive and financial autonomy as envisaged in the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5, 2026, between the Government of India, Government of Nagaland and ENPO.
ENPO expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the MHA. It particularly thanked the MHA Fact-Finding Committee under the convenorship of then Advisor (North East), A.K. Mishra, for its efforts and for maintaining coordination between the State government and ENPO.
The organisation also acknowledged the contributions of Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, former Director IB Tapan Deka, Additional Director (IB) Rajesh Kumble, Joint Secretary (North East) Neeraj Kumar Bansod and Consultant (NE), MHA, A.K. Dhayani, for their contributions before and after the signing of the MoA.
Considering the post-MoA stalemate, the ENPO also acknowledged the role of present IB Director Mahesh Dixit and Advisor (North East), MHA, Ajit Lal, for their guidance and support in ensuring the passage of the Bill.
The organisation further acknowledged the role of Nagaland MPs S. Phangnon Konyak and S. Supongmeren Jamir at the State and Centre.
ENPO said its statehood movement, which began in 2010, culminated in the present FNTA arrangement in 2026 with Neiphiu Rio as chief minister.
It acknowledged Rio’s continued support for Eastern Nagaland and recalled his support since the ENPO approached him on August 23, 2024, seeking his assistance in forwarding the State government’s comments on the FNTA, through the signing of the MoA on February 5, 2026, and passage of the FNTA Bill on September 3.
The organisation looked forward to Rio’s continued support and guidance on the way forward.
ENPO expressed special gratitude to Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton for moving the Bill in the NLA, and to Deputy Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang, ministers and all NLA members for understanding the hardships faced by the people of Eastern Nagaland.
It also applauded the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU) for balancing the strategies and difficulties between the State government and ENPO, which it said contributed to the smooth passage of the Bill. The ENPO expressed hope that ENLU would continue to be the voice of the people.
The organisation also appreciated chief secretary Sentiyanger Imchen, Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha and State bureaucrats and officials for their time, expertise and efforts in framing the draft Bill.
ENPO thanked the eight tribal Hohos– Angami, Sumi, Ao, Lotha, Chakhesang, Rengma, Zeliangrong and Pochury– for their continued support and cooperation.
Recalling the genesis of the ENPO movement, the organisation said every leader had contributed and made sacrifices at different stages. It said the historic moment would not have been possible without the selfless contributions of leaders, some of whom were still alive and others who had passed away.
The present ENPO leadership dedicated the achievement to the sacrifices of all those leaders.
On the way forward, the ENPO said that following the signing of the MoA on February 5, 2026, passage of the Bill was “just a 2nd step” towards challenges that could arise in future.
It appealed to all sections of society to remain committed to the common goal while upholding integrity and responsibility.
ENPO also appealed to the MHA and State government Nagaland to continue supporting and guiding the FNTA and assist it in its future endeavours.
“God Bless Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority! God Bless My Nagaland! Jai Hind!” the communiqué stated.