The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has asked its MLAs to resign if their demand for a separate state, curving out from Nagaland, is not fulfilled by the Union Government before the state general election slated for March next.
According to a release today the resolution to this effect was taken after a crucial meeting of ENPO yesterday at Tuensang.
The meeting was called after two of the constituents of ENPO have asked for convening of meeting to boycott the forthcoming state poll to intensify their demand for a separate state known as “Frontier Nagaland” state.
“The meeting unanimously resolved to urge Government of India to respond to the demand of ENPO for a separate statehood before declaration of election to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, 2018.
The ENPO also declare its support to an early declaration of an honourable Naga solution which should be acceptable and beneficial to all as desired by the Naga public in general,” the resolution passed at the ENPO stated.
The total area of eastern Nagaland is 8,154 square km and has Myanmar on the east, Arunachal Pradesh on the north and Assam on the west, apart from the neighbouring Nagaland districts.
Historically, the eastern districts of Nagaland were in the erstwhile Tuensang frontier division under the aegis of the Indian Frontier Administrative Services and managed by the North East Frontier Agency (Nefa). This area was largely outside the pale of British administration but became a part of India in 1947-48.
After Nagaland was granted statehood in 1963, the Tuensang frontier division and Naga hills of Assam formed the Naga hills-Tuensang area in 1957 and subsequently became a part of Nagaland in 1963.
The ENPO has alleged that though the four districts have around 45 per cent of Nagaland’s population, only 20 members, among 60, represented the area in the Nagaland Assembly. (Agencies/UNI)