BJP's blind quest for power superseding stability of northeast: Congress

The Congress emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats in Meghalaya but didn't get enough numbers to form the government, while it drew blank in Nagaland and Tripura.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala (File | PTI)
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala (File | PTI)

NEW DELHI: As the BJP and its alliance partners were on Monday all set to form governments in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, the Congress said the BJP's "blind quest for power is superseding stability" of the northeast region.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was following a dangerous game of destabilsation, subversion and usurpation of power in the region.

"Our best wishes to the people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya... We hope that people's issues, particularly (of the) youth, would be addressed as first priority," Surjewala tweeted.

He said every Indian was concerned that this "assumption of power 'at any cost' and 'by any means' by the BJP isn't blinding it into destabilising the entire northeastern region".

"Tell-tale signs of BJP's blind quest for power superseding the stability of the region, propagation of democracy, nipping the separatist tendencies and ignoring core issues of region are already visible."

In Tripura, Surjewala said the BJP aligned with IPFT -- whose election plank is division of state and is now demanding a tribal Chief Minister -- and asked whether the BJP stands for division of Tripura and would it reject the demand for a tribal CM.

He said that in Nagaland, the BJP is in government with NPF -- yet it fought the assembly election in alliance with its opposition party NDPP.

"NPF won 26 seats and NDPP won 18 seats. With both NPF and NDPP staking claim to forming the government, is Nagaland headed for another round of instability like in last 5 years? And Naga Accord," he wondered.

The leader also observed that in Manipur, BJP's coalition survives with support of three NPF MLAs.

"Would formation of a government in Nagaland by BJP with NDPP (18 MLAs) ignoring the NPF (26 MLAs), only in the effort of a larger share of pie of power, not put the stability of government in Manipur under a cloud," he asked.

In Meghalaya, he said, as the BJP prepares to share power with just two MLAs, "every discordant party that fought BJP and each other, ideologically-politically-electorally, is sewn up to form the government at any cost.

"Is this the answer to Meghalaya's aspirations and a stable government?"

Stressing that Chief Ministerial candidate Conrad Sangma and his NPP have promised division of Meghalaya, he asked: "... what is Modiji's take on it?"

The Congress emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats in Meghalaya but didn't get enough numbers to form the government, while it drew blank in Nagaland and Tripura.

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