By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 27: After United Democratic Party (UDP), the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) is now expressing its willingness to rope in the Voice of the People Party (VPP) into the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA), which comprises only the UDP and HSPDP as of now.
Revealing this, HSPDP president KP Pangniang stated that the RDA was formed to unite the regional forces. “We are yet to reach out to the VPP but we have often appealed to the new regional party to join the RDA. We will be more than happy if the VPP and the KHNAM join the alliance,” he told reporters on Saturday.
He said both the UDP and the HSPDP will continue with their efforts to unite the regional parties.
Pangniang pointed out that the regional parties are yet to get the mandate to form the government in Meghalaya. “I am sure if we continue to persist (with the regional alliance), the people of the state will bestow upon us the responsibility to lead the state,” he said.
He insisted that the politics of alliance is here to stay. “Even the BJP needs the support of its allies to form the government at the Centre. The INDIA bloc is holding the opposition forces across the country,” he said.
Replying to a query, Pangniang said there is no problem if the alliance partners contest elections against each other. “We can always come together after the elections to fulfil our common agenda,” he added.
He said the UDP and HSPDP contested the 2019 district council elections against each other. “But after the polls, we came together to form the Executive Committee,” he said.
The HSPDP president said the idea behind forming the RDA was to work together on important issues of the indigenous communities. This can be achieved through a greater regional alliance at the state level, he said.
A cohesive alliance would help the regional parties form the government in Meghalaya one day, he hoped. The UDP, one of Meghalaya’s oldest and second-largest regional parties, had earlier reiterated its call for all regional forces, including the VPP, to unite under one banner to protect the interests of the indigenous people.
UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh had emphasised the need for regional parties to consolidate their efforts. “It is high time for any party claiming to be regional to think seriously and see that we work as one,” he said. He stressed that the current situation demands unity among the regional parties to effectively serve the interests of the indigenous population.
Lyngdoh pointed out the fundamental difference between national and regional parties, stating, “The regional parties cater to the interests of the local and indigenous people and other communities as well.”