Northeast issues: Forum to draw national attention

By IANS,

Aizawl : Major political parties in northeast India have decided to form a joint forum to highlight the region's problems.

Leaders of the Naga People's Front (NPF), the Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma met in New Delhi last week and decided to float a regional forum to underline the common issues of northeast India comprising eight states.

"There will be another summit in the national capital Feb 20 where leaders of all regional parties and MPs from the northeastern states would give the final shape to the proposed forum," MNF leader Zoding Sanga told reporters.

He said that the Feb 20 conference would also finalised the future course of action of the regional parties.

The NPF is the dominant partner of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government in Nagaland while the MNF is the main opposition party in the Congress ruled Mizoram.

NCP is the main opposition party in the Congress ruled Meghalaya though it is the coalition partner of the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre.

"The regional party leaders in their meeting in Delhi have planned to launch the new forum before the upcoming Assam assembly elections, which are likely to be held in April," the MNF leader said.

"If all the recognised regional parties come under one umbrella, it could have influence in the national politics and draw attention of the central government about the problems of the region," he added.

MNF president and former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga and Nagaland Chief Minister and NPF chief Neiphu Rio were among those also attended the meeting.