Kohima, Jan. 24: The demand for a state by the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation has gained impetus with legislators from the four backward districts whose people aspire for a separate entity extending their tacit support.

The EPNO, which is supported by several organisations from the four districts, namely Mon, Longleng, Tuensang and Kiphire, have been demanding a “frontier Nagaland state” on the ground that they have been discriminated against on all fronts. They have even vowed to approach the Centre.

Chingwang Konyak, a former PCC president who is a senior legislator from Mon district and leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), said the statehood demand was a people’s movement and there was no question of him supporting it or not.

He said he could not comment any further as he must “examine the issue first” but would continue to highlight the plight and sufferings of the people of the four districts.

He said successive governments had discriminated against the people of the four backward districts in terms of employment opportunities and development for too long and this had prompted the people to come up with the demand for a separate state.

The EPNO comprises six Naga tribes namely, Sangtam, Yimchungru, Chang, Konyak, Phom and Khiamniungan. There are also unrecognised sub-tribes like Tikhir under Kiphire district.

The CLP meeting slated for Thursday is expected to discuss the demand.

Spurces said despite the claims of discrimination and nepotism by the tribes of these four districts, there is 25 per cent reservation in employment sector for them.

They also get the lion’s share in allocation of central and state funds. Besides, of the 60 legislators in the House, 20 are from the four districts.