ENPO, MHA team to meet in Guwahati

Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) talk team members on Wednesday left for Guwahati to hold another round of meeting with the Home Ministry (MHA) constituted committee headed by advisor (North East) AK Mishra.
The meeting is likely to be held from January 12 and may continue for several days, sources said.
Sources said that the ENPO delegation will apprise the Central team of the ‘talking points’ discussed during the January 8 meeting at DUDA guest house Sovima, attended by over 100 members representing seven tribal bodies, frontal organizations of ENPO including Eastern Nagaland Legislators Union and Rajya Sabha MP.
It may be noted that the Central team during its meeting with ENPO delegation in Guwahati on January 5, presented the ‘blueprint’ in a bid to settle their demand for creation of a separate ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state.
ENPO delegation was asked to table the ‘blueprint’ and hold an open discussion with the community leaders to arrive at a consensus decision. As per reports, the Central team had categorically ruled out bifurcating a small state like Nagaland on several grounds.
Though ENPO has been tight-lipped about the contents of the blue print, there were 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.