Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio and ENPO leaders at the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (in New Delhi on February 5, 2026. (File Photo/PIB)
• Govt asks ENPO to reconsider July 10 rally and shutdown
• Reiterates Article 371(A) safeguards
• Seeks minimum ₹10,000 crore package for Eastern Nagaland
• CM-led delegation to take Cabinet decisions to Centre
• Special legislation to be framed with MHA approval
Kohima, July 6 (MExN): The Nagaland Government has announced that it will convene a Special Session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly to enact legislation for the constitution of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), while requesting the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) to reconsider its proposed public rally and shutdown scheduled for July 10.
The decision followed an emergency meeting of the State Cabinet held on July 6 with members of the Eastern Nagaland Legislators' Union (ENLU) and senior government officials, where the issue was deliberated "extensively and in detail."
According to a statement issued by the Home Department, the proposed legislation will "include the necessary legislative provisions to confer legislative powers upon the FNTA in respect of the transferred subjects/departments for the districts under FNTA, in consultation and with the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and in consonance with the Constitution."
It further reiterated that "the provisions and safeguards enshrined under Article 371(A) of the Constitution of India are sacred and sacrosanct and shall neither be diluted nor altered in any manner whatsoever."
The State Government also asserted that "Nagaland can achieve comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable development only when Eastern Nagaland is fully developed and progresses alongside all other regions of the State."
It said it would "continue to extend its fullest support to the legitimate aspirations of our brothers and sisters of Eastern Nagaland and shall remain steadfast in its commitment to their development, progress and welfare."
Referring to the economic package contained in the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), the government said it would request the Government of India to increase the proposed allocation.
"With regard to the Government of India's assurance of an economic package of Rs 5,000 crore for the development of the ENPO areas, as mentioned in the MoA, the State Government requests the Government of India to enhance the proposed economic package to a minimum of ₹10,000 crore, so as to accelerate comprehensive development, economic growth and progress across Eastern Nagaland," it stated.
The Cabinet also decided that its resolutions would be formally communicated to the Government of India. A Cabinet delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, along with members of the ENLU, will travel to New Delhi to seek the "advice, approval and guidance" of the Government of India on the matter.
In view of these developments, the government appealed to the ENPO to reconsider its planned agitation.
The Home Department also outlined the sequence of events following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on February 5, 2026, between the Government of India, the Government of Nagaland and the ENPO for the constitution of the FNTA.
It stated that immediately after the MoA was signed, the State's Department of Law and Justice was tasked with drafting a Bill in accordance with Clause 3.3 of the agreement, which provides for the constitution of the FNTA through a special legislation to be enacted by the State Government in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The draft Bill was placed before the Cabinet on February 26. However, the government said constitutional issues emerged because the MoA envisaged legislative powers for the FNTA.
According to the statement, the Advocate General opined that "under the constitutional scheme, Legislative Power cannot be conferred on to FNTA through a State Legislation" and observed that the State Government did not possess the legislative competence to delegate powers equivalent to its own or transfer legislative authority to another body.
The State Government subsequently informed the MHA of these constitutional concerns on March 6 and shared a copy of the communication with the ENPO.
The MHA later asked the State Government on March 10 to proceed with drafting the legislation in terms of the MoA and submit the proposal, following which the vetted draft Bill was forwarded to the Ministry on March 17.
The government also recalled that ENPO representatives met the Chief Minister on March 24 and urged that the FNTA Bill be passed before the organisation's Central Executive Committee meeting on March 30, pointing out that 49 days had already elapsed since the signing of the MoA.
Following the representation, the Cabinet met on March 25, approved the draft Bill with modifications and decided to table it during the Eighth Session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. The Bill was introduced in the Assembly on March 26.
However, later that evening, the MHA informed the State Government that the constitutional issue relating to the conferment of legislative powers through State legislation remained under examination and requested more time before further action was taken. The government also noted that while the ENPO had appealed for the provisions of the MoA to be upheld in the Bill, the Member Secretary of the ENLU separately requested that passage of the legislation be deferred until concerns relating to the MoA were clarified.
Taking into account the requests from the MHA, the ENPO and the ENLU, the State Government decided on March 27 to seek deferment of the Bill's consideration and passage in the Assembly. The Bill was subsequently returned to the government by the Assembly Secretariat.
The statement added that the State Government was still awaiting the response of the MHA regarding the constitutional issues raised earlier.
While acknowledging that the ENPO had expressed concern over the delay in constituting the FNTA, the government maintained that it remained committed to establishing the authority “at the earliest possible within the framework of the Constitution.”
