New Delhi, May 16: The North East People’s Forum (NEPF), which was formed last year to checkmate the Left and the Congress in the region, is showing signs of confusion with Sonia Gandhi all but taking over the reins of power in Delhi. Parliamentarian Purno A. Sangma, whose idea it was to float the forum of non-Congress parties barring the Left, has been unambiguous in his stand about not supporting a Sonia Gandhi-led alliance at the Centre. His NEPF ally and Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio is, however, non-committal on the subject.
Rio, whose Nagaland People’s Front’s is an ally of the BJP, hinted after the Lok Sabha election results that he might consider switching to a Congress-led alliance if the need arises. “In politics, anything is possible.”
Some of the constituents of the NEPF became restive after the Sikkim Democratic Front announced it would support a Congress-led coalition at the Centre. Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling had played a major role in giving shape to the Northeast alliance.
Rio today met his Meghalaya counterpart D.D. Lapang here, ostensibly to discuss “common issues” and find a meeting ground. However, he declined to say if it was a prelude to snapping ties with the BJP and supporting the Congress-led coalition.
“It is too early to say anything. Sonia Gandhi knows why I left the Congress and there is nothing to explain. We are in touch with other regional parties, including the Mizo National Front,” the Nagaland chief minister said.
The northeastern states that enjoy special-category status under the Constitution depend on Delhi for the bulk of their financial requirements and political dispensations at the Centre are known to give preferential treatment to states ruled by the parties that support them.
For instance, Mizoram and Nagaland were given additional grants by the National Democratic Alliance government, but Manipur was denied funds in spite of facing similar financial difficulty. The Rio government has reasons to be worried because the fate of several projects — announced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his visit to the state in October — depends on the next government’s largesse.
NEPF leader B.B. Dutta, however, ruled out any division within the political alliance, which picked up nine Lok Sabha seats in the seven states of the Northeast and Sikkim. He claimed to be unaware about the meeting between Rio and Lapang.