By Abdul Gani, TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: In a bid to safeguard territorial, cultural, social, economic and political rights of the northeast people, at least 10 political parties of the region have come together under the banner of North East Regional Political Front (NERPF) under the leadership of Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio.
In a convention held in Guwahati on Sunday which was initiated by Assam’s prime regional Party Asom Gana Parishad, the platform has taken 17 various resolutions for the betterment of the region.
Former Assam Chief Minister and President of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Prafulla Kumar Mahanta along with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and senior leaders of Northeastern regional political parties after forming the North East Regional Political Front during the North Eastern Regional Political Parties Meet, organized by AGP, in Guwahati on Sunday.
“With the view to make our voice stronger and to fight for the cause of the people and for their economic, political and cultural rights we have decided to get together and fight. We will also strife to protect the distinctive identities of the ethnic tribes and all the people of NE,” Neiphiu Rio, the chief convener of the newly formed NERPF told reporters after the day-long meeting which was attended by the representatives of the 10 regional parties of the region.
Rio who represents Nagaland People’s Party also said that in the due course of tine the platform will be expanded with the inclusion of more regional parties. “We are also having a head office in Guwahati very shortly before going detail into the next course of action of the platform in various political activities,” he added.
He also thanked AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta for taking the initiative for unite the regional forces.
At present, the NERPF includes ten parties—Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) of Nagaland, United Democratic Party (UPD) of Meghalaya, People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), Manipur People’s Party, Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura and others besides AGP.
“Assam is the mother state of all the northeastern states. New Delhi and mainland India know northeast as one entity so there is the need to present the region as single entity and hence the platform,” Rio said. The forthcoming Lok Sabha poll will be the first target of the forum.