ENPO demand will be resolved soon, says Nagaland BJP chief
Dimapur: With five party office bearers of BJP from eastern Nagaland by his side, Nagaland BJP president Benjamin Yepthomi on Monday asserted that the demand of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) would be resolved soon.
The ENPO has been demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland Territory carved out of Nagaland since 2010, citing lack of development and discrimination in eastern Nagaland, comprising six districts, by successive state governments.
The six tribes of eastern Nagaland, under the banner of ENPO, boycotted this year’s Lok Sabha election and urban local body elections in the state to press for its demand, besides holding various other forms of protests in the region.
Addressing media persons at his Thahekhu village residence here, Yepthomi said PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Ami Shah assured that it was the responsibility of the BJP-led NDA government to bring an amicable solution to the ENPO’s demand which is more than a decade-old.
“We are confident that the solution concerning the ENPO issue is not far from now, and it is only under the leadership of Home Minister Amit Shah, that the ENPO issue will be solved very soon,” he said.
Calling the ENPO’s demand genuine, long-standing, and legitimate, the state BJP chief said the BJP stands in solidarity with the ENPO. He added that their long-standing demand deserves a quick resolution and that the issue is affecting all the Nagas.
“We look forward to sunnier days soon,” Yapthomi added.
The state BJP resident also briefed the media about the party’s membership drive in Nagaland from September 2.
He said that though the party’s membership drive would commence all over India on September 1, the state unit would launch the drive on September 2 as September 1 falls on Sunday, a day of worship and prayer for the Christian state.
Stating he would be undertaking a statewide tour to engage directly with “our people” from September 3, Yepthomi said the aim is to connect directly with the people at the grassroots level and encourage them to join “our party”.
He said the state BJP is committed to ensuring the membership process is transparent and authentic, focusing on genuine participation rather than mere numbers.
He said the party would highlight the numerous initiatives and schemes introduced by the NDA government under the leadership of PM Modi.
“Our focus is on raising awareness about these achievements and inviting people to join us in our country's journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047, marking the centenary of our nation's independence,” he said.