GUWAHATI
The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has threatened to boycott the 2023 Assembly polls unless its demand for carving out a separate State from Nagaland is not fulfilled.
The ENPO representing the Naga tribes inhabiting six of Nagaland’s 16 districts has been demanding the creation of Frontier Nagaland to be free from “decades of neglect”.
The six districts—Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang—have a total of 20 of Nagaland’s 60 Assembly seats. The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has 15 of these seats, ally Bharatiya Janata Party has four and one MLA is independent.
The NDPP has 42 MLAs in the State Assembly, the BJP has 12, the Naga People’s Front four and two are independents.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, the ENPO said the decision to boycott the polls was taken after a consultative meeting with selected leaders from ‘Eastern Nagaland’, representatives of seven tribal bodies and frontal organisations on August 26.
After a day-long deliberation on the issue of the demand for a separate State, it was unanimously resolved that the people of Eastern Nagaland would not participate in any State or central election process unless their “demand for a separate Frontier Nagaland State is fulfilled”, the ENPO said.
The seven tribal bodies were also entrusted with mobilising support at the grassroots level to ensure the decision is implemented.
The ENPO had earlier reaffirmed the October 13, 2021, representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the approval and declaration of Frontier Nagaland in view of the delay in arriving at an agreement on the “Naga political issue”.
The ENPO had also organised a rally on August 9 and submitted a three-point memorandum to the deputy commissioners of the six districts on the Frontier Nagaland map.
The Naga political issue pertains to the prolonged peace talks between the Centre and two extremist organisations – the National Socialist Council of Nagalim or the Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN and the Naga National Political Groups comprising seven other outfits.
Those opposed to the Frontier Nagaland concept see it as a counter to the “Greater Nagalim” idea that seeks to bring all Naga-inhabited areas of the northeast and beyond under one administrative umbrella.
