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DIMAPUR — The Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) said on Tuesday that the centre's proposal to create Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) within the state of Nagaland does not cause any divisions within the Naga community.
Rather, the people of the eastern region would progress socially and economically, become equal contributors to the prosperity of the state, and pursue all common issues jointly.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the organisation made clarifications regarding a draft Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) on the FNT that was presented to the ENPO by the Eastern Nagaland Legislator’s Union (ENLU) during a meeting and subsequent confusion that ensued.
Putting it in context, the organisation claimed that on Dec. 7, 2023, the Union Home Minister had informed an ENPO delegation that he had invited the Chief Minister of Nagaland for a briefing, and to hand over a draft MoS for the state government’s ‘response and views,’ following which, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would hand over the draft to the ENPO.
The home minister also reportedly said that the MHA would invite the state government and ENPO before Dec. 25, 2023 to discuss and fix the date for signing the MoS before the Election Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.
In connection with the recent controversy, the ENPO explained that the draft MoS was presented by the ENLU during a joint coordination meeting convened by the Eastern Nagaland Gazetted Officers’ Association on Feb. 14, and not on Feb. 9, as stated by the Chief Minister.
“Truth has to be told; in the meeting we were informed that, there is a warning, not to show or share this draft to ENPO – which is contradicting with our Hon’ble CM’s statement that, ‘the draft proposal of Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) is from the Home Ministry and was handed to him by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss with the elected members and Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO),’” it claimed.
The ENPO went on to clarify that during the meeting, it clearly stood by the commitment and assurance given by MHA on Dec. 7, 2023, and that, “until and unless we receive official copy from MHA as assured, we can neither reject nor accept the draft MoS brought by ENLU,” and the house agreed not to discuss it in the meeting.
“As such, the question of ‘all the members present in the meeting have rejected unanimously and also lifted their hands,’ as pointed out by our CM does not arise at all,” the ENPO stated.
It went on to say that the particular draft which was reportedly brought by the chief minister, “had created confusions and misunderstanding as there was no official communication or indication from MHA that the draft MoS will be handed over to ENPO through the state government.
“But ENPO was only awaiting a copy of draft MoS as assured to us on Dec. 7, 2023, that after the state government’s response MHA will invite ENPO and hand over the draft,” it reiterated.
Further, it clarified that the ENPO initially demanded a “full-fledged separate state for socio-economic development and to politically avail the privileges of federal democracy.”
However, the centre, the state government and some tribal bodies had then appealed to the ENPO to reconsider the demand for separate state, following which, the central government is making an effort to offer an arrangement called FNT under the state of Nagaland.
“As such, with the understanding and to keep away from any disharmony in the future, the ENPO clarifies that it does not perceive any division within the family with the granting of the proposed FNT by the centre,” and instead, they believe that FNT would facilitate social and economic progress for the region, enabling equal contribution to the state's prosperity and joint pursuit of common issues, it added.