Second conclave of BJP-led northeast alliance tomorrow

With the BJP-led NDA now in power in five of the eight northeastern states, party chief Amit Shah will brainstorm with regional allies here tomorrow on a strategy to expand base in other states and achieve the target of making the region "Congress-free".

Five chief ministers, three former chief ministers and other allies from the North-East Democratic Alliance will hold a day-long meeting here with an agenda of safe borders, inclusive development and national integration, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav said.

Since it stormed to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP has pulled out all stops to form governments in the region, where it was never a force to reckon with before.
 

Yadav said the BJP and its allies are in power in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Sikkim and he underlined his party's push for power in three others states in the region, Meghalaya and Mizoram--both ruled by the Congress--and the CPI(M)-ruled Tripura.

The assembly polls in Meghalaya and Tripura are slated for February next year and due in Mizoram later in November.

"Our aim is inclusive development of the region, making its borders safe and promoting national integration. We are also working towards a Congress-mukt (Congress-free) north east," Yadav told reporters.

The BJP has joined hands with like-minded parties to form North-East Democratic Alliance, a grouping of several northeastern political parties.

This is the second NEDA conclave tomorrow. The first was held in Assam in July last year.

The NEDP convener Himanta Biswa Sarma, a minister in the BJP government in Assam and who has been a key figure in expanding the party's footprints in the region, said inter- state disputes had come down following its formation.

Northeastern states have used the NEDP platform to sort out boundary, law and and other disputes, he claimed.

To a question about opposition to beef consumption by sections of saffron outfits, saying NEDA respect local ethos and people's privacy over what they eat.

Beef is a staple diet in parts of the region.

Sarma also referred to the NEDA's request to President Ram Nath Kovind to have a presidential estate in the region like the ones in Hyderabad and said it will help the cause of national integration.