Nagaland Tribal Body Declares Public Emergency Over Delay in Forming Frontier Territory

 Guwahati: The powerful tribal body of Nagaland—the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has called for a boycott of elections and campaigns across six eastern districts of the state over the union government’s delay in its offer to create a Frontier Nagaland Territory an autonomous council for the region.

Bogged down by delay by the union government in fulfilling their demand, the ENPO has declared a “public emergency” with immediate effect and called for a boycott of elections and campaigns across six eastern districts of the state.

The ENPO demanded that the Centre should honour the aspirations of the people as assured by union home minister Amit Shah to settle their issue before the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

The decision was taken after a marathon coordination meeting held on Tuesday in Dimapur between tribal bodies and frontal organisations under the ENPO’s eastern districts of Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak and Shamator.

The tribal body has reaffirmed its earlier resolution to refrain from participating in any central and state election. It declared that the people of eastern Nagaland shall not accede to any assurance that the ministry of home affairs may come up with for implementation post-Lok Sabha election process.

During the period of “public emergency”, no election campaign by any political party within the eastern Nagaland area will be allowed, it said.

In a series of action plans the tribal body has called a dawn-to-dusk ban will be imposed on March 8, following which the protest will be intensified.

On February 9, the ENPO organised public rallies simultaneously across the six-district headquarters demanding for effectuation of the Centre’s assured Frontier Nagaland Territory before the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. The rallies will culminate with the adoption of a resolution that the people of the region shall be “compelled” to take their own course of action in the event the central government does not honour their sentiments and aspirations.

The ENPO has been demanding a separate “Frontier Nagaland” state as early as 2010 over alleged issues of discrimination particularly in the development front. Although the ENPO’s initial demand was for the creation of a separate state “Frontier Nagaland” carved out from the present Nagaland state, the Centre’s representatives from ministry of home affairs led by advisor (northeast) AK Mishra in 2022 negotiated for an alternative arrangement- autonomy for the region.

The body, which represents the Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir, and Yimkhiung communities, intensified pressure on the centre for its demand in 2022.

The tribal body claimed that the ministry of home affairs assured and proposed an autonomous council - “Frontier Naga Territory” for the region with legislative, executive, administration, and financial autonomy with 49 councillors- 40 elected legislative members and nine nominees. Presently, the six districts have 20 MLAs in the 60-member state assembly.

The tribal body in January 2023, just before the state assembly elections, agreed to withdraw its election boycott call after the ministry of home affairs intervened and assured that the issue would be resolved after the assembly polls. Lauding the ENPO decision, union home minister Amit Shah had termed it an “expression of trust in the Modi government”.

The ENPO claimed that they were assured that a solution as mutually agreed will be reached after following the due process and will be implemented after completion of the election process.