Nagaland Organizations Rejected the Center’s Regional Council Proposal

Several eastern Nagaland organisations, including the influential Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organisation (ENPO), have rejected the draft proposal for creation of an autonomous council.

This decision was taken following a joint consultative meeting held at Dimapur in Nagaland on Wednesday (February 14), which was attended by representatives from various bodies across eastern Nagaland.

The meeting convened by the Eastern Nagaland Gazette Officers Association (ENGOA), saw participation from members of the Eastern Nagaland Women’s Organisation (ENWO), Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF), apex tribal bodies, as well as the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) and the Eastern Nagaland Legislators Union (ENLU).

ENLU secretary Lima Onen said that the ministry of home affairs (MHA) had submitted a draft proposal to the Nagaland government.

However, the draft, perceived to outline the establishment of a regional/autonomous council, met with disapproval. Consequently, the meeting proposed to reject the draft proposal in its present form.

“We rejected the MHA’s proposal in accordance with our earlier demands for complete independent statehood,” Chang emphasized.

Regarding the contents of the proposal, Chang highlighted the primary contention surrounding the creation of a regional council in line with Article 371 (A) sub-clause (d), which mandates the establishment of a regional council for the Tuensang district in Nagaland.