Tripartite pact clears Frontier Nagaland Territory; Centre assures autonomy, funds

Guwahati, Feb 5: The long-standing demand for a Frontier Nagaland Territory Authority (FNTA) became a reality on Thursday with the signing of a tripartite agreement between the Centre, the Nagaland government and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO).

The agreement was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah and provides for a unique autonomous administrative arrangement for six eastern districts of Nagaland, namely Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang.

Highlighting the significance of the pact, Shah said what stood out was that the negotiations were held directly between the Nagaland government and the ENPO, and that the draft agreement emerged from those discussions.

“With this agreement, we have moved one step closer to resolve all the issues of the Nagaland and we, both the Nagaland government and the Centre, will work together to push Eastern Nagaland forward,” Shah said.

Referring to historical concerns in the region, he added, “After Nagaland was created, the people of Eastern Nagaland had an inhibition that they will be ignored, today the negotiations have reached a positive outcome.”

Shah also expressed gratitude to officials of the Union Home Ministry for acting as a “bridge” between the ENPO and the state government to facilitate the agreement.

“When I had earlier spoken to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, he had assured that the state government will listen and agree to the demands of the ENPO. So, I also want to thank Riojji and his cabinet ministers and the two parliamentarians for bring the negotiations to a logical end. Expect one or two issues, everything has been resolved,” he said.

Assuring support for the region’s development, Shah said the Centre would bear the initial financial responsibility. “We will give a designated annual funds to the region and in the beginning, initial expenses would be incurred by the Centre,” he said.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah, said the agreement would not have been possible without their negotiations.

“It’s my strong believe this agreement will showcase trust among all sections and address the aspirations of the Eastern Nagaland region and the people of the state as a whole,” Rio said, congratulating the people of eastern Nagaland.

While the full details of the agreement are yet to be made public, the FNTA is expected to have substantial executive, legislative and financial autonomy.

The arrangement is aimed at enhancing self-governance in eastern Nagaland without creating a separate state or affecting Nagaland’s territorial integrity; a concern consistently flagged by the state government.

Sources said the agreement is likely to outline the powers, funding mechanisms and administrative structure of the proposed FNT framework, along with safeguards to ensure coordination with the state government and the Centre.

Earlier, the Nagaland government had strongly opposed the Centre’s proposal to grant a separate constitutional provision, reportedly under Article 370, for a FNTA, stating that it would “amount to territorial bifurcation of the state”.