Guwahati: A meeting was held on January 5, 2023 with representatives of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO), the top tribal organisation of eastern Nagaland, in Guwahati under the direction of a three-person delegation that also included Intelligence Bureau joint director Mandeep Singh Tuli and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) northeast division director A K Dhayani. The delegation was led by advisor for MHA (Northeast) A K Mishra.
According to a senior ENPO member, the Government of India (GoI) has agreed to grant the frontier Nagaland access to a distinct legislative as well as budgetary, judicial, and executive authorities.
It is noteworthy that a second set of discussions between the GoI and the ENPO members have been planned for Guwahati, most likely during the second week of January.
However, the ENPO members are said to study the same before it is revealed once they arrive in Nagaland on January 6. In the meantime, a trustworthy source states that the GoI would publish the nomenclature for Frontier Nagaland in the upcoming week.
The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, is expected to visit Tuensang in Nagaland during the second week of January to formally announce the decision, according to additional sources.
All seven tribes—Konyaks, Phoms, Changs, Khiamniungans, Yimchungrus, Tikhir, and Sangtams—have members in ENPO, which is noteworthy.
It should be noted that the Home Minister will also be in the state on January 6 to work on party-related projects.
“The reason for such a movement is for the development and welfare of the people in eastern Nagaland,” said Manglang Phom, the general secretary of ENPO, in a statement to India today. “The demand is for a separate state called “Frontier Nagaland,” which consists of four of the most underdeveloped districts and six significant Naga tribes.
A combination of tribal councils and organisations known as the ENPO is dedicated to creating the independent state of Frontier Nagaland in Eastern Nagaland. In order to raise their demands with the Union government, an ENPO delegation met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month.