ENPO adviser Tongthan said they would prefer Frontier Nagaland state than an autonomous council. “Autonomous council is an old issue which dates back to 1960. It is not a new for us,” he told the Telegraph.
He, however, said they would discuss and decide whether the state government’s proposal was acceptable. Tongthan added that granting statehood to four backward districts would benefit the Naga people.
The ENPO has been demanding a separate state, Frontier Nagaland, and had also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh which was referred back to the Nagaland government.
Rejecting further division of Nagaland, the state cabinet has reiterated its position to stand by the four resolutions passed by the Assembly, demanding integration of all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas under one administrative umbrella, which includes parts of Manipur, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.
The cabinet constituted a high-level official committee headed by the chief secretary Lalthara to study issues raised by the ENPO in their memorandum. After the committee submitted its report, five cabinet sub-committees were constituted to pursue the findings and recommendations in the report.
Saying that the Centre was in the best position to solve the issue, the state cabinet requested New Delhi to intervene and take an early decision.
The argument of the state government was that despite pumping crores of rupees, the four districts remained backward. The four districts comprise Sangtam, Yimchungru, Chang, Khaimniungan, Konyak, Phom and Tikhir tribes.
The 20 lawmakers from these districts have also supported the ENPO’s demand.
Nagaland government has also earmarked 33 per cent reservation in all employment sectors and educational institutions to uplift these backward tribes. Apart from this reservation the government has also decided to go for a special recruitment drive which is vehemently opposed by other forward tribes.
The Naga Students’ Federation said it would oppose tooth and nail if the four districts were granted statehood.