Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday expressed confidence that the revised Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill would be tabled during the upcoming session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly beginning September 1 and is likely to be passed by September 3.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a programme, Rio said the State Cabinet had recently held discussions with the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) and legislators from the Eastern Nagaland region to resolve the legal and constitutional issues that had earlier stalled the proposed legislation.
The FNTA Bill was deferred by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in March after concerns were raised over the constitutional authority of the State Government to delegate legislative powers to another body. The State’s Advocate General had also opined that legislative powers could not be conferred on the proposed authority through State legislation, news agency ANI reported.
Rio said the State Government subsequently worked on a revised arrangement in consultation with the ENPO, while seeking legal opinion and exploring possible ways to address the constitutional concerns. The revised proposal was discussed with the ENPO and Eastern Nagaland legislators, who, according to the Chief Minister, have agreed to the new arrangement.
“We have sent that letter to the MHA, and we will be tabling this on the 1st September Assembly, and hopefully we will pass it on the 3rd,” Rio said.
The FNTA proposal stems from the Memorandum of Agreement signed on February 5, 2026, between the Government of India, the Nagaland Government and the ENPO. The proposed authority is envisaged as a special institutional arrangement for the six districts of Eastern Nagaland while retaining the region within the State of Nagaland.
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Naga political dialogue
On the Naga political issue, Rio said efforts were underway to elevate the ongoing dialogue to a higher political level. He reiterated the State Government’s position that negotiations should be conducted with representatives possessing the authority and mandate of the Government of India to take decisions on the matter.
Referring to the resolution adopted at the Consultative Meeting held on September 12, 2024, Rio recalled that more than 300 stakeholders participated in the meeting, including tribal organisations, civil society groups, churches, students, government officials, legislators, parliamentarians, senior citizens and political parties.
One of the key resolutions, he said, was that since the Naga issue is fundamentally political, negotiations should be conducted at the highest political level with representatives empowered to take decisions on behalf of the Government of India.
“The Naga issue is a political issue. Therefore, the negotiations should be at the highest political level and with people who have the authority and mandate of the Government,” Rio said.
He said the resolution was subsequently endorsed by the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at its meeting on September 1, 2025, thereby reaffirming the State Government’s position.
According to Rio, the matter was later taken up with the Union Home Minister, following which discussions were held regarding the proposed involvement of a Union Minister of State for Home Affairs in the process. The development, he said, has since been conveyed to the Naga political groups engaged in the negotiations and the matter is currently under process.
“We stand by what we are handling, and I hope people understand this,” Rio added.
FCRA, other business in Assembly
Rio also said the forthcoming two-day Assembly session would take up discussions on the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and other government business.
However, he clarified that the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act would not be included in the business scheduled for the upcoming session. (with inputs from ANI)
