Dimapur, August 5 (MExN): The Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation (ENPO) has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, and the Government of Nagaland to expedite the finalisation of the Special Legislation envisaged under Clause 3.3 of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5, 2026.
In a press release issued on August 4, ENPO said it has submitted a Joint Reminder to both governments, requesting that the consultation process be concluded “at the earliest,” preferably before its Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting scheduled for August 11, or, in any event, before Independence Day.
It welcomed the progress made in the ongoing consultations and noted that the Government of Nagaland has already submitted its revised draft of the Special Legislation to the Ministry of Home Affairs for consideration.
ENPO also expressed appreciation to the Ministry for providing it an opportunity to present its observations following the MHA-State Government meetings held on July 24 and 27.
While acknowledging that the consultation under Clause 3.3 is a process between the MHA and the Government of Nagaland, ENPO clarified that its observations were made “in a constructive spirit” to facilitate implementation of the MoA and “not to interfere with the responsibilities entrusted to the concerned Governments.”
It reiterated that the MoA is a “consensus Tripartite Agreement” among the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of Nagaland, and ENPO, and maintained that all three parties should continue to be guided by its provisions.
Recalling its recent interaction with the Ministry, ENPO said it had appealed for an early conclusion of the consultation process. It stated that, acting in good faith and in the larger interest of maintaining public confidence in the peace process, it had suspended its proposed public rally and deferred its CEC meeting to August 11 to allow sufficient time for the consultations to reach a conclusion.
According to the ENPO, these decisions were taken in reliance on the positive developments in the consultation process and had created a “legitimate expectation” among the people of Eastern Nagaland that the agreed Special Legislation would be finalised within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement.
ENPO expressed confidence that meeting this expectation would strengthen public trust in negotiated settlements while reaffirming the principles of fairness, good faith and accountable governance.
It urged both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Nagaland to conclude the consultation process so that the Special Legislation could be finalised before the CEC meeting on August 11 or, at the latest, before Independence Day.
ENPO expressed hope that the current momentum would lead to the successful implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement, enabling the people of Eastern Nagaland to celebrate this year's Independence Day “with renewed confidence in the commitments made under the historic Tripartite Agreement.”
