Kohima: Amidst the long pending demand for a separate ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state, a consultative meeting on the Centre’s proposal for the constitution of an Autonomous Council with six eastern districts of Nagaland would be held in Kohima on June 30.
Nagaland government in a notification issued on Monday said that a consultative meeting on the proposal of the Centre for the constitution of an Autonomous Council for the six eastern districts — Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak — of the state would be held at in Kohima.
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The Nagaland Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers, the Assembly Speaker, all the Ministers, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of the state along with the Chief Secretary, several MLAs, and leaders of many tribal organisations would be present in the meeting.
Claiming that the six districts have been neglected for years, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has been demanding a separate ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state, since 2010.
Seven backward tribes of eastern Nagaland — Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Tikhir, Sangtam, and Yimkhiung — are spread across these six districts.
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Responding to the ENPO’s demand, the Union Home Ministry, earlier this year, formed a three-member committee headed by MHA Adviser, Northeast, A.K. Mishra and the panel visited Nagaland several times and talked with all concerned including the ENPO leaders.
The ENPO and its associated organizations, in support of its separate state demand, earlier gave a call to boycott the February 27 Nagaland Assembly polls but subsequently withdrew the boycott call following the assurance from Home Minister Amit Shah, who called it a “welcome move”.
Shah had also met ENPO leaders on the issue earlier.
He had said that all the issues of ENPO have been discussed and an agreement would be signed after the Assembly elections.
“Due to the model code of conduct of the Assembly elections, the agreement could not be signed. After the February 27 Assembly polls, an agreement would be signed by the Union Home Ministry ensuring the Naga people’s rights and development,” Shah had said.
The ENPO, the apex tribal organization of eastern Nagaland, to press its demand had boycotted the annual Hornbill festival last year.