By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 1: The NPP is contemplating on fielding candidates in all states of the Northeast in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The party is aiming at winning 15-20 seats to make the voice of the region heard in Parliament. The Northeast, including Sikkim, has 25 Parliamentary seats – 14 of them in Assam.
As regards Meghalaya, the NPP has decided to contest both Tura and Shillong seats.
NPP state chief and Rajya Sabha member, WR Kharlukhi on Friday said the party is yet to decide on its candidates. He said UDP and NPP will not have any combined candidates. NPP will have its own candidates, he added.
The NPP holds sway in Garo hills but faces a challenge in Khasi-Jaintia hills region in Lok Sabha elections.
But Kharlukhi confidently said, “We have really set ourselves in the Khasi-Jaintia region. I think we had the highest vote share here in the last Assembly election. We are winning this (Lok Sabha) election.”
To a query, he said he was aware of media reports suggesting that BJP leader HM Shangpliang will contest the polls on NPP’s ticket but there is “nothing”.
Disclosing that NPP is looking to contest in all states of the Northeast, he said, “We are targeting (to win) 15-20 seats so that our voice is heard in Parliament. If not, it will be like the cases of the Vice Chancellor of NEHU and Director of NEIGRIHMS. Nobody listens to us.”
He lamented that the Centre has done nothing on the twin issues of inclusion of Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of Constitution and implementation of Inner Line Permit even after the state government passed resolutions.
“That is why, I say if we keep on dividing our people, forget about them (twin issues),” he said. “We met the ministers concerned but nobody listened to us. If the Northeast wants to be a strong force in Delhi politics, the people of the region have to send a party with at least 15-20 MPs. It is then that they will listen to you,” the NPP state chief said.
Talking about ethnic violence in Manipur, he said, “PM (Narendra Modi) met us and discussed. They have their own politics but I am sad to see that people are divided on communal lines. The people of Northeast are suffering.”