Business body demands state clarify who governs Nagaland, calls for action over FRGN directive targeting Sunday trading and non-Naga establishments
The Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNCCI) has questioned the authority under which the Federal Republic Government of Nagaland (NSCN/FRGN) issued a directive ordering shops across Nagaland to remain closed on Sundays and calling on all non-Naga business establishments to shut down their operations altogether.
In a statement, the CNCCI demanded that the state government publicly clarify whether the elected government or the FRGN is exercising authority over such decisions, and called for immediate investigation and action if the directive has no lawful authority.
The business body described the directive as a serious matter with implications for the state’s business environment, warning that measures aimed at protecting Naga enterprises must not lead to economic isolation or discrimination against other communities.
The CNCCI said that while it respects the sanctity of Sunday worship and the need to accommodate church service hours, religious observance must be balanced with practical business considerations.
It argued that ensuring employees receive one day of rest each week should not be conflated with imposing a blanket ban on Sunday trading.
“Such decisions must be guided by genuine business considerations—not through decisions made on emotional and moral policing,” the CNCCI stated.
On the issue of non-Naga businesses, the CNCCI maintained that promoting Naga entrepreneurship should not come at the cost of excluding other communities from lawful economic participation.
The organisation said it has consistently encouraged Naga businesses and entrepreneurship among Naga youth under its guiding principle, “Naga First”. It also claimed that hundreds of non-Naga business operators had closed their businesses and relocated, although the circumstances and extent of these closures were not detailed in the statement.
The CNCCI argued that Nagaland’s economic progress depends on investment, technology, expertise, services and access to wider markets, warning that directives compelling businesses to shut down on ethnic grounds could undermine investor confidence and create unnecessary communal tensions.
Citing the expansion of Naga entrepreneurs into markets across India and internationally, the organisation said economic progress comes through enterprise, innovation and broader commercial engagement rather than isolation.
The CNCCI also called on the FRGN to remain focused on its political objectives, stating that the Naga public had mandated the Naga national movement to pursue the Naga political issue rather than divert its resources and energy into matters beyond that mandate.
The business body urged the state government to publicly assure the business community that it remains in charge, clarify the status of the directive and disclose the action taken in response.
Warning that the matter could cause concern during the ongoing festive season, the CNCCI said it did not wish to inconvenience the public but would be forced to take its own course of action if the government failed to respond promptly.
The statement did not specify what action the organisation intends to take. The positions of the state government and the NSCN/FRGN were not included in the statement.
