New Delhi/Kohima, June 25: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Deputy Chief Ministers Yanthungo Patton and T.R. Zeliang on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss issues relating to security, development and inter-state relations, a meeting that comes at a politically significant time as the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) agreement faces fresh uncertainty.

While officials did not disclose details of the discussions, the meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of growing tensions over the implementation of the FNTA agreement signed on February 5 this year between the Centre, the Nagaland government and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) in the presence of Amit Shah and Neiphiu Rio.

The agreement envisages the creation of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority for six eastern districts with powers over 46 subjects, a mini secretariat and enhanced financial and administrative autonomy, while leaving Article 371(A) untouched.

However, what was hailed as a breakthrough has now run into turbulence.

The ENPO has accused the Nagaland government of backtracking on key provisions of the agreement and delaying its implementation, while the state government has maintained that the process requires wider consultation and coordination with the Centre. The exchange has fuelled fresh uncertainty over the future of the proposed authority.

The meeting also comes at a time when the broader Naga peace process remains without a final settlement.

Nearly eleven years after the Framework Agreement with the NSCN-IM, and years after the Agreed Position with the Working Committee of the NNPGs, competing claims over representation and the future of the peace process continue to dominate political discourse in Nagaland.

Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, after the meeting, said the state leadership was grateful for Amit Shah’s continued concern for the welfare and aspirations of the people of Nagaland, adding that such engagements strengthen cooperation between the Centre and the state.

For many in Nagaland, however, the larger question remains whether the FNTA agreement—projected as a landmark step towards addressing the aspirations of Eastern Nagaland—will move from promise to implementation, or join the long list of accords that generated hope but slowed after the signing ceremony.