News Analysis India

Tag: Frontier Nagaland

  • Nagaland group threatens to boycott polls for statehood, Amit Shah invites it for talks

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Ahead of its meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has reiterated that the people of eastern Nagaland will boycott Assembly elections, expected in February next year, if the Centre fails to create the “Frontier Nagaland” state by bifurcating Nagaland.

    The ENPO, which is the apex organisation of the Nagas of eastern Nagaland, said it had received an invitation from Shah for a meeting in New Delhi on December 3.

    “We will take part in the meeting but we stand firm on our decision to boycott the elections if the separate Frontier Nagaland state is not granted to the people of eastern Nagaland,” W Manwang Anghaa, the secretary of ENPO, told this newspaper on Monday. The statehood demand is non-negotiable, he added. 

    Nagaland has 60 Assembly seats and 16 districts. The people of eastern Nagaland envisage a separate state by slicing off the six eastern Nagaland districts of Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang which have altogether 20 Assembly constituencies. Some of these districts share a border with Myanmar.

    “Nobody will take part in the elections. If people contest, who will vote for them? And if somebody does not comply with our decision and goes to vote, he or she will face actions. We are desperate for statehood,” Anghaa said. 

    The people of ENPO region have already decided not to take part in the 10-day annual state government-organised Hornbill Festival beginning on December 1. It draws tourists from around the world. The demand of statehood stems from the alleged backwardness of eastern Nagaland region.

    “The Centre has given a lot of money but it is only for Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung districts. There is total discrimination against eastern Nagaland region for the past 60 years,” Anghaa alleged. Kohima is the capital of Nagaland while Dimapur is its commercial hub.

    GUWAHATI: Ahead of its meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has reiterated that the people of eastern Nagaland will boycott Assembly elections, expected in February next year, if the Centre fails to create the “Frontier Nagaland” state by bifurcating Nagaland.

    The ENPO, which is the apex organisation of the Nagas of eastern Nagaland, said it had received an invitation from Shah for a meeting in New Delhi on December 3.

    “We will take part in the meeting but we stand firm on our decision to boycott the elections if the separate Frontier Nagaland state is not granted to the people of eastern Nagaland,” W Manwang Anghaa, the secretary of ENPO, told this newspaper on Monday. The statehood demand is non-negotiable, he added. 

    Nagaland has 60 Assembly seats and 16 districts. The people of eastern Nagaland envisage a separate state by slicing off the six eastern Nagaland districts of Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang which have altogether 20 Assembly constituencies. Some of these districts share a border with Myanmar.

    “Nobody will take part in the elections. If people contest, who will vote for them? And if somebody does not comply with our decision and goes to vote, he or she will face actions. We are desperate for statehood,” Anghaa said. 

    The people of ENPO region have already decided not to take part in the 10-day annual state government-organised Hornbill Festival beginning on December 1. It draws tourists from around the world. The demand of statehood stems from the alleged backwardness of eastern Nagaland region.

    “The Centre has given a lot of money but it is only for Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung districts. There is total discrimination against eastern Nagaland region for the past 60 years,” Anghaa alleged. Kohima is the capital of Nagaland while Dimapur is its commercial hub.

  • Apex tribal organisation of eastern Nagaland decides to boycott State elections

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: A tribal organisation in Nagaland has decided to boycott the upcoming state elections in protest against the Centre’s non-fulfillment of the demand for the creation of “Frontier Nagaland” state.The decision was made by the influential Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), the apex tribal organisation of eastern Nagaland which has six of the state’s 16 districts.The political parties in the state have already stepped up their activities for the elections, due early next year.“Seven tribal bodies, talk team and frontal organisations…resolved not to participate in any election process of the state and the Centre until and unless the Frontier Nagaland state is created as demanded by the people of eastern Nagaland…” the ENPO said in a statement.Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator are the six districts falling under eastern Nagaland which has altogether 20 of the state’s 60 Assembly seats. The tribal organisations demand that these six districts be carved out of Nagaland for the creation of Frontier Nagaland state.The entire region was once Tuensang when it was a part of North-East Frontier Agency. It was attached to the Naga Hills district in 1957 and when Nagaland attained statehood in 1963, it became a part of the state.The region has remained “underdeveloped” and “backward” for many years and the locals believe only the creation of a separate state could help ensure development here.The ENPO’s decision on boycotting the polls followed the August 9 “public rallies” organised across the six districts to press for the Frontier Nagaland state demand.In October last year, it had submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him, as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to fulfil the demand early.Even as the ENPO is demanding the creation of a state within the state, a contentious demand of rebel group NSCN-IM is the creation of a unified Naga homeland by slicing off the Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and integrating them with Nagaland. Each of these states has a sizeable Naga population.

    GUWAHATI: A tribal organisation in Nagaland has decided to boycott the upcoming state elections in protest against the Centre’s non-fulfillment of the demand for the creation of “Frontier Nagaland” state.
    The decision was made by the influential Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), the apex tribal organisation of eastern Nagaland which has six of the state’s 16 districts.
    The political parties in the state have already stepped up their activities for the elections, due early next year.
    “Seven tribal bodies, talk team and frontal organisations…resolved not to participate in any election process of the state and the Centre until and unless the Frontier Nagaland state is created as demanded by the people of eastern Nagaland…” the ENPO said in a statement.
    Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator are the six districts falling under eastern Nagaland which has altogether 20 of the state’s 60 Assembly seats. The tribal organisations demand that these six districts be carved out of Nagaland for the creation of Frontier Nagaland state.
    The entire region was once Tuensang when it was a part of North-East Frontier Agency. It was attached to the Naga Hills district in 1957 and when Nagaland attained statehood in 1963, it became a part of the state.
    The region has remained “underdeveloped” and “backward” for many years and the locals believe only the creation of a separate state could help ensure development here.
    The ENPO’s decision on boycotting the polls followed the August 9 “public rallies” organised across the six districts to press for the Frontier Nagaland state demand.
    In October last year, it had submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him, as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to fulfil the demand early.
    Even as the ENPO is demanding the creation of a state within the state, a contentious demand of rebel group NSCN-IM is the creation of a unified Naga homeland by slicing off the Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and integrating them with Nagaland. Each of these states has a sizeable Naga population.