[ad_1]
Kuzholuzo Nienu. File
| Photo Credit: Twitter/@k_azonienu
GUWAHATI:
The Nagaland Cabinet has appealed to the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) to reconsider its Statehood demand, especially after the Centre rejected the idea of carving ‘Frontier Nagaland’ out of six districts of the State.
The Cabinet met on January 3 to discuss the threat of Naga tribes inhabiting the six districts – Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang – to not participate in the upcoming Assembly elections. These districts have 20 of the State’s 60 Assembly seats.
“We have requested the ENPO to drop its demand in the greater interest of the Naga people since our priority is the solution of the decades-old Naga political issue,” Nagaland government spokesperson and Revenue Minister Neiba Kronu said.
The “political issue” is a term used for the peace process between the Centre and two Naga extremist groups – one of them an umbrella organisation of seven outfits – that declared truce over the last 25 years.
Kuzholuzo Nienu, the co-chairman of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), pointed out that the Cabinet had never recommended the creation of a separate State and had instead advocated on July 23, 2011, the integration of all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas.
UDA is the coalition that rules Nagaland. It is headed by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party. “Besides, we have been told that a three-member team of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has rejected the demand for the creation of Frontier Nagaland,” he said.
An ENPO delegation, however, has planned to meet with officials of the MHA in Guwahati on January 5 to pursue the Statehood demand. Seven tribal organisations affiliated with the ENPO have reiterated to stand by their resolution in 2022 to not take part in “any election process of the State and the Centre until and unless” Frontier Nagaland is granted.
[ad_2]
Source link