SHILLONG: The NPP has decided to sever ties with the BJP-led NDA government if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will be leaving for Delhi on Sunday to make an announcement in this regard once the Centre takes a decision on the bill either on Monday or Tuesday when it is taken up in the Rajya Sabha.
The general body meeting of the NPP held here on Saturday adopted a resolution to withdraw support to the NDA if the Centre goes ahead with passing the bill.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Sangma, who was re-elected as the national president of the party for three years, said the party adopted the resolution to oppose the CAB which will be submitted to the Centre.
Sangma said NPP is part of the government in four states in the North East and the people of the region have trust that the party should take the lead in addressing the issues of the region.
“Hence, NPP is sticking to opposing CAB and fighting for the cause of the region,” he said.
Sangma revealed that withdrawal from the NDA will also affect the North East governments supported by NPP.
Besides Meghalaya where NPP is leading the government with 20 members, the party is part of the governments in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
If the party pulls out of NDA, it may affect the stability of the government in Manipur as four NPP members are supporting the BJP-led government.
NPP leader and deputy chief minister of Manipur Y. Joykumar Singh said if the NPP pulls out of the NDA government, it may lead to the collapse of the government in his state.
Speaking to reporters, Singh said there may be a spurt in militancy if the Centre goes ahead with implementation of the bill.
“I am a former DGP, unrest in the state over the CAB may lead to resentment in Manipur and the rest of the region and militancy may once again be revived,” he said.
In Arunachal Pradesh, five NPP MLAs are supporting the BJP-led government and two in Nagaland.
In Meghalaya, BJP MLA Sanbor Shullai has already announced coming out of the party while BJP minister AL Hek is waiting for the outcome of the Centre’s decision.
Curiously, the party has not put up any candidates for the KHADC-JHADC polls due to the protests against CAB.
UDP to decide after
RS outcome
The UDP, NPP’s ally in Meghalaya, said it would review the matter depending on the outcome in the Rajya Sabha.
UDP leader Bindo M Lanong said if the bill is passed, the party would have to decide its future course of action about its alliance with the NDA.
He also said that in the recently held meeting in Guwahati, many of the leaders had expressed their opinions about breaking their ties with the NDA if the bill is forced on the people.