Dimapur: More than a thousand people gathered at Dimapur airport on Saturday to accord a grand reception to the 43-member Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) delegation on its return from New Delhi after signing the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA).
The reception was followed by a thanksgiving prayer programme at Konyak Paan, jointly organised by the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Union Dimapur, Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Union Chümoukedima and Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Union Kohima.
Addressing the gathering, ENPO president Chingmak Chang reaffirmed that the demand for a separate state for Eastern Nagaland remained unchanged, describing the FNTA as only the first step towards that objective.
Chang recalled that ENPO was formed in 1996 to highlight the long-standing hardships and developmental neglect faced by the people of Eastern Nagaland. He said the organisation formally resolved to demand statehood on May 27, 2007, and submitted a memorandum to the Government of India on December 6, 2010, during the tenure of then ENPO president Y. Mangko Phom.
He acknowledged the sacrifices made by Eastern Nagas over the years and described the signing of the agreement as a collective achievement. “The credit for signing the agreement belongs to each and every citizen of Eastern Nagaland,” Chang said, urging all eight tribes to remain united and work together to take the FNTA forward.
Chang credited the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Nagaland government headed by chief minister Neiphiu Rio, senior bureaucrats, and chief negotiator A.K. Mishra and his team for steering the negotiations.
Describing FNTA as a people’s movement, he likened it to a newborn child whose future would depend on how it is nurtured. He clarified that FNTA would function within the State of Nagaland for a period of 10 years and reiterated that Eastern Nagaland would remain an integral part of the state. However, he underlined that FNTA was not the final destination and that the goal of statehood remained intact.
Interacting with the media, Chang said financial and developmental assistance for FNTA would be provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He added that a joint monitoring committee comprising representatives of the Centre, the State government and ENPO would oversee the implementation of the agreement.
He also said an interim administrative setup, functioning like a mini-secretariat, would be established and headed by a Chief Executive Secretary of the rank of Principal Secretary or Additional Chief Secretary. The Governor would appoint the interim leadership in consultation with ENPO, while the timeline for constituting the arrangement would be finalised after consultations with tribal bodies.
Chang further stated that FNTA had been constituted under Article 371(A) of the Constitution and not under the Fifth or Sixth Schedule, describing it as a unique 10-year arrangement.
Earlier, Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Union Dimapur president N.T. Thamlong Phom termed the day historic but cautioned that the journey ahead was far from over. He thanked former ENPO leaders and other Naga tribes for their support and urged continued unity.
The programme concluded with a thanksgiving prayer led by pastors from the six Eastern Nagaland districts.