The people of Eastern Nagaland comprising of seven tribes– Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir, and Yimkhiung under the aegis of Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) have appealed to the State government and Naga brothers and sisters to extend support towards fulfilling the demand of the people of Eastern Nagaland vis-à-vis “Frontier Naga Territory” (FNT).
It may be recalled that this newspaper had reported in February this year that both ENPO and MHA constituted committee had mutually agreed to form FNT with financial autonomy among others, for an initial period of 10 years.
ENPO, in its statement issued on Tuesday, also mentioned that as per the proposal, the performance of the proposed set-up would be reviewed after 10 years to assess its efficacy in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Eastern Nagaland.
ENPO said, considering the sentiments of Naga brothers and sisters towards unity and togetherness, it had accepted the proposal without insisting on dividing Nagaland. It recalled that the State government had in its wisdom and farsightedness gave importance to the movement and, in its report to the Centre in 2011, had recommended formation of an Autonomous Council, which was not agreed and subsequently rejected by the people of Eastern Nagaland.
“This is as much of a test for us as it is a significant responsibility to pursue development and advancement to prove that, given the opportunity, we can indeed do well. We stand on the threshold of this dialogue. We hope to move forward courageously with the prayers and blessings of our fellow Nagas for a future where we can be equal contributors to the prosperity of our Naga fraternity,” the statement explained.
While acknowledging the efforts of successive State governments in recent years to bring the people of Eastern Nagaland on a par with the more advanced areas of Nagaland, ENPO, however, lamented that due to lack of a basic foundation, the area was still falling behind rest of the Nagas by much more than a century’s gap.
ENPO said advancements and progress would remain a far cry in these combative milieus of the present century unless the area was looked after by granting and fulfilling the demand and aspiration for a
separate State under the special provision and status of Article 371 (A).
The organisation pointed out that under Article 371 A, Clause (1) sub-clause (d), a special provision was inserted to administer the area of Eastern Nagaland – the present ENPO areas as a special instrument to look after the special needs of the people of these areas, and Clause (2) sub-clause (b) “where any money is provided by the Govt of India to the Govt of Nagaland to meet the requirement of the State of Nagaland as a whole, the Governor shall in his discretion arrange for an equitable allocation of that money between the Tuensang district and the rest of the State”. However, it lamented that this had not brought any desired effect.
As an apex body representing seven tribes under six districts of Eastern Nagaland, ENPO said it had been pursuing the demand for a separate State for the last more than a decade based on various reasons, including historical backgrounds and socio-economic backwardness, etc.
It had submitted a memorandum to the Central government on November 25, 2010 demanding a separate State, and formal talks were initiated in 2015. But, despite several rounds of talks with both the Centre and the State government, the issue remained unresolved.
ENPO said it had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 6, 2022, following which a series of meetings were held with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the State government, before the Centre offered “Frontier Naga Territory” (FNT) with legislative, executive, administration and financial autonomy.
ENPO seeks support for ‘Frontier Naga Territory’
