India’s northeastern state Nagaland has declared independence from the Union oil ministry and invited bids for 11 exploration blocks in the state without involving the petroleum ministry, which has rushed to the home ministry in protest.

The centre was caught napping, when Nagaland invited “expressions of interest” from oil companies after setting up a ministerial group on petroleum, officials in the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, technical arm of the oil ministry, told ET.
“It appears that this action of the state government of Nagaland is ultra vires of the Constitution,” director general of hydrocarbons RN Choubey said in a letter to the oil ministry.