ENPO-MHA meeting ‘inconclusive’

The recent meeting (from January 12-14) between Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) delegation and the three-member committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Guwahati remained inconclusive.
This was the second meeting held in Guwahati this month. Another round of meeting is likely to be held soon, sources said.
Sources said that a 32-member ENPO delegation, including talk team members, held series of meetings over a period of three days (Thursday till Saturday) with MHA committee members headed by advisor (North East) AK Mishra.
During the meeting, the ENPO delegation apprised the Central team of the ‘talking points’ discussed during the January 8 meeting at DUDA guest house Sovima, attended by over 100 members including leaders of tribal bodies, legislators under Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union and Rajya Sabha MP.
It may be mentioned the MHA team during the January 5 meeting presented the ‘blueprint’ in a bid to settle the demand for creation of a separate ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state. Even as the Central team had categorically ruled out bifurcating a small state like Nagaland on several grounds, it had asked the ENPO delegation to table the ‘blueprint’ and hold an open discussion with the community leaders to arrive at a consensus decision.
Accordingly, ENPO held a meeting (DUDA Guest house) and submitted its ‘talking points’ to the Central team, reaffirming its stand for ‘Frontier Nagaland’ State.
Though the contents of the blueprint have not been made public, sources said that the recommendations made by the Centre was more or less on similar lines but not separate State.
There have been speculations that Centre was ready to create an autonomous council under 6th Schedule of the Constitution, which will include a legislative council formed with elected representatives, and also manage and control funds provided directly from the Centre. It was also speculated that a mini-secretariat would be created and established at Eastern Nagaland.