National People’s Party (NPP) President and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has stated that his party has given a platform for the people of North East to voice issues at the national level.
He said that nobody at the national level cared about the North East. “Most probably in the history of the country, I don’t think there is any other political party from the region that has been recognised as a national party,” he said.
The NPP was granted a national political party status in 2019, the first from North East.
Sangma said it believes in indigenousness and to stitch North East together. “We must put our voice and give the platform for the people of the region to be able to take up issues at the national level because nobody at the national level cares about the North East,” he added.
He stated that with the basic principles it stood on, the NPP is finally seeing results. This he referred to the People’s Democratic Front (PDF), who officially merged with the NPP today.
PDF President Gavin Miguel Mylliem said his party has not taken a wrong decision when it decided to merge with the NPP. “We made the right decision as political representatives so that we will be able to serve the public more,” he said.
Mylliem and Banteidor Lyngdoh represented the PDF in the Assembly. Now with the merger, strength of the NPP has increased to 28 in the current House of 59.
Lyngdoh said there are no permanent friends and permanent enemies in politics.
A ‘merger document’ was also signed between the two parties. Among the issues listed by the PDF is the proper implementation of the roster system by taking into consideration the sentiments of the people besides addressing plight of the farmers, power crisis, ILP among others.
NPP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong termed the merger a “marriage that should last till death do part.” He also said said that in politics there are only permanent friends and no permanent enemies but with a sole aim to serve the constituency and state.
Quoting a proverb, “charity begins at home”, Tynsong mocked other political parties and said they claimed “to love the jaitbynriew when their constituency lacks in all the basic developments.”
