Shillong, Nov 13: NPP national president and chief minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the formation of a regional front will not affect the party’s alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.
“No, we have always alliance with the NDA, we are very clear about it. Even right now I have my BJP minister; TIPRA Motha is part of the government, so it is very clear about that part,” he told reporters.
On November 4, Sangma along with founder of TIPRA Motha Pradyot Bikam Manikya Deb Barma, former BJP leader and former Nagaland minister Mmhonlumo Kikon, founder of People’s Party, Daniel Langthasa had announced their decision to form a new a united singular political entity to represent the aspirations of the NE people.
Sangma explained that the emerging regional grouping aims to create a stronger platform for addressing common issues.
“What we are saying is that we are coming together to ensure that we have a stronger platform that we are able to take up issues. This is not a fight against any individual but it is only the realization that we must all come together to bring unity so that we are stronger as a front and as leaders of the Northeast, enabling us to talk to other leaders with much more gravity and strength in the days to come,” he said
Responding to concerns that not all regional parties—such as those from Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal—have been consulted, Sangma described the development as a ‘process’.
“It is a process. It is not that we have now decided that everybody will just come at a click of a button and all are going to merge, it is not like that. This has never happened before. We are starting a process where a few of us have decided to come together, and consultation is taking place among the parties. They will decide how they move forward, and in the process, they will start consulting with others also on who would be interested and who would want to come forward.”
He added, “We have realized the importance of having some kind of unity among the Northeast so that we are in a much more politically stronger position to take up issues that matter to us as a region. We have faced many situations in the past, and we would like to see the same concern and voice reflected. Thus, we intend to put the team together and become stronger.”
