Purno to file poll papers tomorrow
From CK Nayak
New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha Speaker and NPP supremo, Punro Agitok Sangma will file his nomination papers for the Tura Lok Sabha seat on Friday and station himself in the area for campaigning till the elections.
Sangma himself announced his programme at a crowded Press conference here on Wednesday. He was flanked by his daughter and former Union minister Agatha Sangma.
Sangma said his candidature was on the basis of opinions of party workers and the general public as NPP had directed all its district units in Garo Hills to seek the opinion of all party workers and public on who should be the party’s candidate for the Tura seat.
The NPP chief was hopeful that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections would bring about a change in New Delhi which would automatically ensure a change in the Northeast region, mainly in the disturbed Garo Hills of Meghalaya.
Justifying his plunge into the electoral battle at the national level after a gap of several years, Sangma said, the law and order situation in the Garo Hills was really grave and it needed a veteran to ventilate as well as mitigate people’s woos on the floor of the Parliament, Agatha made it clear that though she opted out of polls she would devote her time and energy for the party.
Sangma informed that the North East Regional Political Front (NERPF), an alliance of 10 regional parties formed last year, would in no case enter into a post-poll alliance with the Congress-led UPA. Sangma joined NERPF recently.
The NERPF was keeping its options open between extending support to the BJP-led NDA or any other combination in a post-poll adjustment.
The regional front, which was more inclined towards the NDA, would consider setting up common candidates in the Lok Sabha poll in 21 of the total of 25 seats from the region. Sangma’s statement indicated that the NERPF was keeping options open in the event the 2014 Lok Sabha election threw up a hung Parliament, where regional parties could play a deciding role in government formation. NERPF has been formed to bring back the Northeast to the focus of mainland and safeguard the territorial, cultural, social, political and economic interest of the whole region, he added.
The former Speaker said that infiltration and frequent Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh would be two of the main agenda of NERPF during the polls. It was against construction of big dams in the Northeast as well as across across the border in China for irrigation and hydel power projects, Sangma said, pointing out that Brahmaputra river was the lifeline of entire region.
Speaking to newspersons, Agatha condemned the recent spate in racial attacks on students and others from the Northeast in Delhi and some other metropolitan cities. She also demanded the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act. She also expressed reservation over the use of EVMs and demanded that at least paper trails should be there if the machine was indispensable.