Shillong, Nov 13: NPP national president and chief minister Conrad K Sangma has ruled out any possible impact of a proposed regional front on the party’s alliance with NDA at the Centre.
“No, we always have alliance with the NDA… Even right now I have my BJP minister. TIPRA Motha is part of the government…,” Sangma told reporters on Thursday while replying to a query on the proposed regional front.
The NPP chief, TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, former BJP leader and former Nagaland minister Mmhonlumo Kikon, Assam-based People’s Party founder Daniel Langthasa earlier this month announced the decision to form a new political platform to represent 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’.
“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.”
On significance of forming of such a platform for North East, he said, “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.”
