ENPO pushes for full executive, legislative and financial autonomy with 10-year review

Seeks HC bench, more MP seats under Frontier Nagaland proposal

The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has outlined its core stance on the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT), reaffirming its demand for robust autonomy and constitutional safeguards through the Frontier Nagaland Territory Authority (FNTA). Under the banner “Liberty in Unity,” ENPO emphasized that the arrangement must uphold executive, legislative, and financial autonomy “in both letter and spirit.”

The organisation has proposed a 10-year review window to assess the progress and functionality of the FNT arrangement. It also stated that “all existing subjects under the State shall co-exist within the Frontier Nagaland Territory Authority (FNTA), as envisaged in the basic principle.”

ENPO’s framework includes a shared autonomy category list covering key subjects. One of the major demands is the establishment of a permanent High Court in Nagaland with a permanent bench in FNT. It also calls for the enhancement of State Non-Plan allocation from the Consolidated Fund of India and enabling legislation by the State Government under Article 371A to address fiscal deficits and enable regional progress.

In terms of political representation, ENPO has demanded additional Parliamentary seats in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha during the upcoming delimitation process. The organization also highlighted the State’s internal socio-tribal composition, stating, “Recognising the State’s ‘division’ into three tribal blocks (Tenyimia, Central Nagas & Eastern Nagas), in the event of two Deputy Chief Ministers, one post should be reserved for each of the non-Chief Minister blocks.”

The ENPO further proposed collaboration between the State Government and ENPO in specific priority areas for the development of Eastern Nagaland.

On constitutional matters, ENPO stated that the draft Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) for constituting the FNTA under Article 371(A) has been agreed to by the State Government. Therefore, it urged that “Article 371(A) should be reviewed, modified, and suitably amended to incorporate these provisions.”

Among other key proposals, ENPO has called for a conventional power-sharing mechanism that respects decentralised planning and execution, involving members of both the Frontier Nagaland Legislative Assembly (FNLA) and Eastern Nagaland Legislative Unit (ENLU). It also stressed the need for upgradation and modernisation of the Village Guard organisation, including an increase in their salary and honorarium, viewing it as “a vital part of the FNT arrangement.”

MT