Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 23
Reaffirming the per-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) for Nagaland, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister (CM) of Assam, announced that his party will continue to support Neiphiu Rio as the leader of their alliance. Furthermore, he quashed any form of rumour about a possible alternative partnership with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Ram Vilas. “There are certain sections in society who only love to spread rumours. First all, LJP is not a friend of the BJP so we have no alliance with them,” he said.
Speaking at the campaign rally for Hekani Jakhalu, NDPP’s candidate from Dimapur III A/C held at Kushiabill-Darogajan on February 23, he added that in Nagaland, BJP has only one friend which is the NDPP. “For the BJP, Rio is our oldest ally and he has not gone against us in any occasion so there should be no confusion,” he said.
Besides these, the Assam CM who also heads the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) stressed on the need to resolve the protracted Indo-Naga political peace talks at the earliest. Only with Rio at the fore-front of the state government, he stated that solution was possible. In regard to oil-exploration along the Disputed Area Belts (DAB), he said possibilities for equally sharing of resources and royalties between the two states was likely if they collaborate together to bring developmental activities for the region. “We can work together because we all want development for our region,” he added.
