Kohima, May 30, 2026: The Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation (ENPO) has expressed strong concern over what it described as the Nagaland government's attempt to dilute key provisions of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5, 2026, and has urged the state government to table and pass the FNTA Bill without any alterations.
 |
| Union Home Minister Amit Shah greets Eastern Nagaland leaders during the FNTA agreement signing ceremony in New Delhi on February 5, 2026. (File Photo) |
In a statement issued on Saturday, ENPO alleged that objections reportedly raised by the state government to provisions granting legislative, executive, and financial autonomy to Eastern Nagaland undermine the core essence of the agreement. The organisation maintained that these provisions form the foundation of the FNTA arrangement and warned that any deletion or modification would weaken the agreement reached after years of negotiations.
The organisation accused the state government of making a "U-turn" on commitments it had earlier supported during consultations on the proposed Frontier Nagaland arrangement. ENPO claimed that the government had previously agreed in principle to the autonomy provisions when commenting on the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2023.
According to ENPO, the government's apparent reversal raises questions about its commitment to the tripartite process involving the Centre, the Nagaland government, and the ENPO. It further argued that legal concerns being raised after the signing of the MoA were difficult to justify, given that the agreement was the result of nearly three years of discussions and consultations.
The organisation also criticised what it described as attempts to shift responsibility to the Central government by deviating from the signed agreement. It warned that if alternative mechanisms become necessary to implement the FNTA arrangement, the state government would bear responsibility for the consequences.
ALSO READ: Temjen Imna Along Inaugurates PM-USHA Facilities at Dimapur Government College
Reiterating its demand, ENPO called on the Nagaland government to honour the agreement in both letter and spirit and facilitate its implementation. It urged Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio's government to table and pass the FNTA Bill in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly without diluting any provision of the signed MoA.
The FNTA agreement was signed in New Delhi on February 5, 2026, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and members of the state Cabinet. ENPO described the agreement as a landmark step towards addressing the longstanding developmental and governance concerns of the people of Eastern Nagaland.
