First political conclave of NEDA today
Guwahati/SHILLONG: The first political conclave of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a platform of BJP and nine regional alliance parties of the North East, will be held in Guwahati on Wednesday with BJP national president Amit Shah attending the meet.
The national president of National P
eople’s Party (NPP), Conrad Sangma and United Democratic Party (UDP) president Donkupar Roy will attend the conclave along with other dignitaries.
It may be mentioned here that UDP and NPP had attended the first meeting of the alliance held recently in Guwahati.
Besides Conrad, the NPP delegation will comprise James Sangma and the executive members of the party. The decision to this effect was taken at an executive committee meeting of the party held in Shillong on Tuesday.
The UDP president will attend the conclave as a guest of honour and he will be accompanied by a host of party leaders.
The NEDA has been conceptualized by the BJP president with the objective to strengthen the foothold of the BJP in the entire region where the party hitherto has feeble presence in the Christian states of Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland and in the Left-ruled Tripura.
Besides Shah, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal (BJP), Nagaland chief minister T R Zeliang, Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling (SDF), and Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul will be present at the meet. The BPF will be represented in the conclave by its president Hagrama Mohilary while AGP will be represented by its president Atul Bora. Dr Ronuj Pegu, president of Ganashakti Party will also attend the conclave.
The convenor of NEDA and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sharma said, “This will be the first political conclave of NEDA since its formation in May this year. The conclave will come out with a Guwahati declaration, which will focus on three primary issues ranging from local to national to international.”
He said, “The issues include expansion of base of BJP and its NE allies to make a Congress-free region at the local or regional level. At the national level, NEDA will work to put in sync NE’s growth with the national growth and how the NE MPs can work together towards that end.”
“At the international level, NEDA will focus on NE’s role in the Act East Policy,” Sharma added.