Guwahati: The largest tribal organization in Nagaland, Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) declared on December 1 that no one from the area would attend the ten-day Hornbill Festival which attracts visitors from all over the world because the Center had not yet established the “Frontier Nagaland” state despite repeated requests.
The Prime Minister has been urged to “defend the interest and uphold the desire and aspiration of the Sumi tribe of Eastern Nagaland to continue to live under the authority of the present Nagaland state,” according to a petition from the Sumi community in Eastern Nagaland.
It is asserted that the census of the Sumi tribe in Eastern Nagaland, topography and demography were included in the State demand filed to the Government of India in the ENPO demand for “Frontier Nagaland Statehood.”
It was overwhelmingly decided that the Sumi tribe of Eastern Nagaland will continue to exist under the social, economic, political and administrative control of the current Nagaland state during the general public meeting held on October 25, 2022 in Nikiye village of Kiphire district.
The right to life and personal liberty, the hoho said was a fundamental right that all Indian citizens were guaranteed, hence their decision was to remain within the current Nagaland state.
The demand is to create a new state called “Frontier Nagaland,” which consists of the four most underdeveloped districts and the six largest Naga tribes. The development and wellbeing of the people in eastern Nagaland are the driving forces behind this initiative.