Frontier Nagaland Territory: ENPO submits stance to MHA
Frontier Nagaland Territory: ENPO submits stance to MHA
In a significant development, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) announced that it has submitted its stance on the Frontier Nagaland Territory to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) team
DIMAPUR — In a significant development, the
Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) on Tuesday announced that it has
submitted its stance on the Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) to the Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) team.
In a press communiqué on, the ENPO stated that after
comprehensive studies and contemplation on the offered ‘FNT’, the organisation
has come out with its stance as “per the reality of time and along with
people’s mandate.”
The stance submitted to the MHA will also be handed over to
the state government at the earliest, it stated.
While holding on to its demand for a ‘separate statehood’,
the ENPO stated that it has been compelled to temporarily narrow down its
stance, considering the inability of the GoI, and to opt for the third option
called ‘FNT”, an arrangement offered by the GoI.
However, this temporary FNT arrangement is subject to review
after 10 years and all other unresolved matters will be taken up through
democratic political process, it asserted.
On the basic principle as envisaged in both the MoS draft of
the MHA and the state government’s comments, the ENPO reiterated that FNT with
executive, legislative and financial autonomy should not be infringed upon
under the offered FNT, and that these principles should be delivered both in
letter and spirit.
It also insisted that the parameters of the offered FNT
should not be limited by any article of the Constitution of India or statutory
laws.
“In accordance to the agreed position, ‘Legislative,
Executive and Financial autonomy within Nagaland State’ as envisaged in the
basic principle, all existing subjects in the State shall co-exist in FNTA.
“This stance is being articulated in order to avoid any
infringement or complication when/if limited subjects are to be transferred.
Therefore, ENPO shall prepare the list of some major subjects which should be
placed under ‘Share Autonomy category list’”, it stated.
•Permanent
High Court in the State and a permanent High Court bench in the FNT.
•Enhancement
of the State Non-plan allocation from the Consolidated Fund of India, to rescue
the State Government from the huge deficits that restricts the progress of the
State.
• GoI to
empower the State Government to pass enabling laws under Art 371A.
• ENPO to
demand for additional Parliamentary seats in both the houses in the upcoming
delimitation exercise.
•Considering
the State under three tribal blocks ie.Tenyimi, Central Nagas and Eastern
blocks, thusin the event of having two
deputy CMs, onepost each should be
shared between the two non-CM blocks.
•The ENPO
has included certain sections for the State Government to partner with the ENPO
on certain priority areas for development of eastern Nagaland.
The ENPO also maintained that Art. 371A should be
reviewed/modified and suitably amended in order to incorporate the provision
relating to the FNT.
The ENPO proposed for a conventional power sharing mechanism
without infringing the basic principles where both the FNLA and ENLU members
can work together under decentralised planning and execution system.
Upgrade and modernisation of the Village Guard organisation
and enhancement of their salary/honorarium still holds very important part in
the deal, it stated.
Further, the ENPO stated that with the establishment of FNT
there shall be a Joint Monitoring Committee comprising of the representative
from the MHA, State Government, FNTA and the ENPO.
The ENPO appealed to the chief minister of Nagaland to
uphold his earlier political statement where he had categorically stated that,
“the State Govt. will give full cooperation for the development of ENPO Areas
and whatever decision on FNT the GoI takes, we will be a partner and see that
they catch up with the rest of the state and the country”.
