In a statement issued here on Saturday, Enpo vice-president Yonglong Konyak and general secretary Toshi Wangtung said the organization would not budge an inch from its demand for a separate Frontier Nagaland state comprising Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng districts.
Under the aegis of Enpo, the Changs, the Konyaks, the Sangtams, the Khiamniungans, the Yimchungrus and the Phoms have come together to demand carving out of "Frontier Nagaland". The demand was raised by the Changs, the Konyaks, the Sangtams, the Khiamniungans, the Yimchungrus and the Phoms under the aegis of Enpo.
The Enpo's demand is, however, considered a setback for outfits such as the NSCN (IM) that is now engaged in peace negotiations with the government. The NSCN(I-M)'s key demand is unification of all Naga inhabited areas comprising the entire Nagaland and some areas of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Though chief minister Neiphiu Rio has said the Enpo's demand for a separate state within the present state of Nagaland could be resolved only by the Centre and not his government, his cabinet expressed satisfaction over the recommendations submitted by a committee (formed by the state government) to look into a memorandum submitted by the Enpo seeking creation of a separate Eastern Nagaland state.
On July 23, the cabinet proposed creation of an autonomous council comprising the four districts. Incidentally, the organization had submitted the same memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 25, 2010 seeking a separate "Frontier Nagaland", a demand that was not endorsed by the state government.
Recently, the Nagaland government directed that 25 per cent of jobs in all categories, both gazetted and non-gazetted posts, will be reserved for people representing the six backward tribes of four districts of Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire and Longleng with immediate effect. A notification issued by the government said 25 per cent of the jobs, 12 per cent of all categories, both gazetted and non-gazetted posts, should be reserved for the Chakhesang/Pochury, the Zeliang and the Sumis of Kiphire district.