ENPO accuses state government of diluting frontier Nagaland agreement

The Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) has accused the Nagaland government of attempting to dilute key provisions of the agreement aimed at establishing the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), alleging that the state has adopted a "U-turn" on commitments made during the tripartite negotiations.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ENPO expressed serious concern over what it described as attempts to alter important provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5, 2025. The agreement provides for the creation of the FNTA as a unique self-governing territorial authority with legislative, executive and financial autonomy within Nagaland.

The organisation said the provisions in the agreement were the outcome of extensive consultations and warned that any modification to the signed MoA would amount to undermining its core intent and spirit.

ENPO urged the state government to table and pass the FNTA Bill in the Nagaland Assembly without diluting any provision of the agreement. It maintained that the arrangement was conceived to address longstanding developmental and governance concerns of the people of Eastern Nagaland.

The organisation also alleged that the state government was now distancing itself from positions it had earlier endorsed during consultations on the proposed arrangement. According to ENPO, the state's comments on the draft Memorandum of Settlement submitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in 2023 had reflected agreement in principle to grant legislative, executive and financial autonomy to the proposed authority.

Calling upon the government to honour the agreement in both letter and spirit, ENPO said implementation of the pact would pave the way for peace, development and welfare in Eastern Nagaland.

Meanwhile, the organisation has convened a meeting of its Central Executive Council (CEC) at Tuensang on June 3 to deliberate on the matter. ENPO has directed all CEC members to attend the meeting and has also invited legislators from Eastern Nagaland and representatives of various district units as special guests.

The meeting comes ahead of the CEC's scheduled consultation with leaders of all political parties from Eastern Nagaland, along with tribal councils and district presidents and secretaries, on June 2.

ENPO has requested all political parties concerned to send three-member delegations to the consultation, while tribal councils have been asked to be represented by their presidents, vice-presidents and general secretaries.

The Nagaland government has not yet issued any official response to the allegations made by the organisation.