Amit Shah: N-E has moved from briefcase politics

Guwahati: In what is said to be a meeting of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) to chalk out a strategy on winning 21 out of 25 seats of Northeastern states in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP president Amit Shah here on Sunday said that these states have moved from “briefcase politics” to “development politics” under BJP-led NEDA governments in seven out of eight states, including Sikkim, in the region where the alliance is in power.

He said that he was confident that the lone state Mizoram where the Congress was still in power would come to NEDA in the coming state polls.

Addressing the third conclave of NEDA, the BJP president said that NEDA was not only a political but a geo-cultural alliance to bring together all the communities of the region.

“We are trying to unify nearly 217 communities of the region. While unifying, we are also aware of the need to preserve the cultural identity and language of each community,” he said.

Launching a frontal attack on the Congress, which ruled most of the states in the post-Independence era, Mr Shah said, “The image of region had become synonymous with militancy and corruption. We, NEDA members, are trying to change the tag.”

He reiterted, “The region has moved from ‘briefcase politics’ to ‘development politics’. The common man is now reaping benefits of Central government schemes.”

Stressing the need to expand the footprints of NEDA in the region, Mr Shah mooted the idea of forming youth and women wings of the forum.

Though, Mr Shah did not make any direct comment on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, he assured the conclave that the suggestions put forth in the conclave would be taken up by the BJP and the Centre.

CMs of six Northeastern states — Assam’s Sarbananda Sonowal, Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu, Manipur’s Nongthombam Biren Singh, Meghalaya’s Conrad Sangma, Nagaland’s Neiphiu Rio and Tripura’s Biplab Deb, among others, were present at the conclave.

Earlier, hundreds of anti-Citizenship (amendment) Bill, 2016 protestors, including RTI activist Akhil Gogoi, were arrested from different parts of the city where they had assembled to show black flag to the BJP president.

Protestors of Krishak Mukti Sangram Parishad (KMSS), who lined up along the exit road of the airport with black flags were involved in a scuffle with BJP workers before the police stepped in.

Assam police additional director general of police Mukesh Agarwala said that the KMSS protestors were allowed to carry out their democratic protests, but had to be arrested so that the VIP movements on the same road were not hampered.

BJP in the state is in a tight spot over the Centre’s proposal to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 ahead of the LS polls. The Bill proposes to make Hindus, Christians, Parsis and Buddhists who have fled from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan eligible for Indian citizenship. The amendment Bill of 2016 proposes to reduce their period of residency from 11 years to six years to be eligible for Indian citizenship.