Congress seeks anti-BJP ‘secular alliance’ ahead of Nagaland Assembly polls

Kohima: Opposition Congress in Nagaland is keen to forge a “secular alliance” with like-minded parties before the Assembly elections early next year, its state President K. Therie said on Tuesday.

The Congress, which ruled the northeastern state for almost 15 years during its worst phase of militancy and other difficult situations, had contested in 18 of the total 60 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections with other parties but drew a blank.

Therie said that considering the national political scenario, the formation of a “secular alliance” with the like-minded parties to defeat the BJP is the urgent need of the hour. He, however, did not disclose the name of the parties with whom his party would form the proposed “secular alliance”.

The state Congress chief urged all “erstwhile” Congress leaders, workers and well-wishers to rejoin the party to fight against “anti-Christ, anti-Christian, anti-Muslim and anti-women” forces.

He said that to remove the roadblocks and to resolve the Naga political issue, a secular and democratic government is necessary in Nagaland.

“The NDPP-BJP seat sharing arrangement six months ahead of the Assembly election is an attempt to divert the people’s attention from the political solution of the Naga issue that had been put in cold storage,” he claimed.

He said that the Congress would field around 40 candidates in the Assembly elections, which are expected to be held in February next year.

Saying that almost all state political parties except the BJP are secular, he said the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) can also join its front if they are keen to maintain their secular image and want welfare of the state.

With 42 legislators, the NDPP leads the opposition-less Nagaland government where the BJP with 12 members has been a junior partner since 2018.

Solution of the Naga political issue is the topmost topic in Nagaland and the state government and all parties have been demanding to resolve the decades-old issue before the Assembly elections.