NEW DELHI/ SHILLONG: After spewing venom on the BJP over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, several leaders of its allies from the North East, including Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad K Sangma, on Friday landed in Varanasi to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he went to file his nomination for the seat in the Lok Sabha election.
Pouncing on the opportunity, Meghalaya Congress MLA and party spokesperson Zenith Sangma came down hard on Conrad recalling that during campaigning for the recently-concluded LS elections in the state, especially in Garo Hills, the chief minister had misled the people saying he and the NPP were not with the BJP.
The political leaders from the North East in attendance at Varanasi also included Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora.
Besides, Modi was accompanied by a galaxy of top BJP and NDA leaders in what was a massive show of strength for the country’s ruling alliance.
Regional parties in the North East have had a love-hate relationship with the BJP since the time of beef ban and, more recently, the CAB issue. Ironically, these two issues were opposed by many of the BJP’s NE state units too.
The NPP had even put up its candidates in almost all the Lok Sabha seats in the North East where BJP also contested despite being part of the government in Meghalaya. The AGP had even pulled out of the BJP-led alliance government in Assam over CAB only to return after the bill lapsed although the saffron party’s manifesto declares it would be brought back once the party returns to power at the Centre.
In a Facebook message, Zenith said the BJP had fielded its candidates only to disguise its deep relationship with the NPP, and that too at the instance of Conrad, knowing well that people of Garo Hills are agitated and allergic to the saffron party because of their “evil designs” and anti-people and anti-tribal policies.
But now once the elections are over in his home state, he has gone to Varanasi to show solidarity and extend full support to his godfather Narendra Modi, he said.
“Is it not betrayal? When the tribal people and minority religious communities are ceaselessly praying that BJP should not come back to power again he has gone there to meet him not as PM but only to support his candidature when he is seeking mandate for the second time,” Sangma said.
NPP leader Thomas Sangma said the chief minister had accompanied Modi since the NPP is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
Conrad joining Modi’s bandwagon while filing nomination comes at a time when the NPP is under fire from the Opposition for aligning with the BJP which is determined to bring back the CAB.
Be that as it may and whether BJP comes back to power or not the alliance in NE states will be under serious strain.