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Centre signs tripartite pact to create territorial body for east Nagaland
The Centre signed an agreement with Nagaland and ENPO to form Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority, addressing long-standing demands for autonomy.
New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday signed a tripartite agreement with the Nagaland government and Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) for the formation of Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), a long standing demand for a new administrative body within the north-eastern state.
The ENPO, the apex body representing eight tribes across six eastern districts of the state, has been demanding a separate state since 2010, alleging decades of neglect. It later agreed to the Centre’s proposal for a certain degree of autonomy under the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) framework.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Neiphiu Rio.
The ministry of home affairs said in a statement that the agreement will “pave the way for creation of FNTA for six districts of Nagaland viz. Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak and Shamator, and devolution of powers in respect of 46 subjects to the FNTA”.
“Today is a very significant day for a dispute-free north east. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned a north east that is free from insurgency, violence, disputes, and is developed. Today, we have taken one more step forward in realizing that vision,” Shah said after the signing in New Delhi.
“Today, a very long-standing dispute has reached a happy conclusion. We have taken one more step forward in the direction of ending all disputes in Nagaland. Now, there will be no obstacle in the path of development of eastern Nagaland. The agreement reflects our government’s commitment to resolving all contentious issues to fulfil genuine aspirations of the people,” Shah said.
In 2021-22, Shah said he had told the representatives of ENPO that the Centre is committed to finding a solution to every dispute. “I had assured them to keep faith and participate in the democratic process, and they would definitely receive both fair justice and due respect. After the officers of the MHA worked for a long time as a bridge between ENPO and the government of Nagaland, today we have been able to resolve this dispute,” the home minister said, adding that “we are very well aware of the ENPO region and its strategic importance”.
Shah said that the government of Nagaland, Rio’s cabinet colleagues, and members of Parliament from the state had, “with great magnanimity, taken this negotiation to its logical conclusion”.
Quoting Shah, the MHA said on Thursday that 11-years ago, several armed groups and disputes in the north east were pushing the region towards fragmentation and disturbing its peace. At the same time, many inter-state disputes were disrupting the peace of the states. Since 2019, the Modi government has signed 12 important agreements in the north east.
The signed agreement provides for a mini-secretariat for FNTA, headed by additional chief secretary/principal secretary, sharing of development outlay for the eastern Nagaland region proportional to its population and area.
However, this agreement does not affect in any manner whatsoever the provisions of Article 371(A) of Constitution, the MHA said. Article 371 (A) grants special status to Nagaland and provides that the Parliament cannot legislate on the matters relating to Naga religion, social practices, customary law and rights, civil and criminal justice, without the consent of state assembly.
Highlighting the features in the agreement, MHA said it envisages overall development of eastern Nagaland “through financial autonomy, enhanced decision-making leading to accelerated infrastructure development, economic empowerment and optimum resource utilization”.
“The agreement depicts the government of India’s commitment to resolve all contentious issues through dialogue to meet genuine aspirations of the people of north east and proves the basic tenet of the democracy that solutions could only be achieved through negotiations based on mutual respect and dialogue instead of violence and armed conflict,” MHA said.
