The Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) has postponed its proposed public rally scheduled for July 10 after the Nagaland government announced its decision to convene a special session of the State Legislative Assembly to deliberate on the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA).
In a statement the ENPO said it welcomed the government’s decision to address the long-pending FNTA issue and had taken note of the official announcement regarding the proposed special Assembly session.
The organisation said the decision to defer the rally followed requests from the state government, the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament and the convenor of the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU), all of whom appealed to the organisation to reconsider its planned protest.
ENPO, however, clarified that the postponement should not be interpreted as a withdrawal of its demands. The organisation announced that its Central Executive Council (CEC) would meet on August 6 to review the latest developments and decide on its future course of action.
Reaffirming its stand, ENPO described the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between the organisation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Nagaland government as “sacred and sacrosanct”, saying the agreement represented a commitment built on mutual trust and must be implemented in its original form.
The organisation stressed that all signatories had a moral responsibility to honour the provisions of the agreement without altering its core principles.
Referring to Clause 3.3 of the MoA, ENPO said consultations between the Nagaland government and the MHA were intended solely for enacting the special legislation required for the FNTA and should not be used to dilute or amend the agreement.
It further asserted that the MoA envisages a distinct legislative framework for the proposed authority while upholding the spirit of Article 371A of the Constitution, maintaining that the agreement does not merely provide for delegated legislative powers.
According to ENPO, effective implementation of the accord would promote inclusive development in Eastern Nagaland and support the national vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas”, ensuring peace, dignity and development for the region as part of the country’s long-term growth agenda.
