The National People’s Party (NPP), an ally of the BJP in three northeastern States, is eyeing Manipur as a stepping stone to its “national” ambition of becoming a bankable political entity for indigenous people.
The NPP was born in Manipur as a primarily tribal party. It is is headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, whose father and former Lok Sabha Speaker had repackaged it in 2013 on a bigger scale. The party is in the ruling alliance with the BJP in Manipur and Meghalaya and supports Pema Khandu’s BJP government in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Our party is an alternative to leading national parties because it understands the needs of development and the aspirations of the indigenous peoples in the northeast better. This time, we hope to fill the void of an indigenous people-centric political party,” Sheikh Noorul Hassan, general secretary of the NPP’s Manipur unit said.
The NPP had an almost 45% strike rate in the 2017 Assembly polls, winning four of the nine Assembly seats it had contested. It is unperturbed by the defection of one of its MLAs — Letpao Haokip — to the BJP, and hopes to win a majority of the 40 seats it intends to contest.
Mr. Hassan said the NPP’s decision to walk out of the government over differences with Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh in 2020 would not affect its performance. The party returned to the alliance a few days later.
“The walkout was in the interest of the people of Manipur. With their mandate, we expect to form an NPP-led government,” he said, insisting that the party’s focus on ensuring the rights of the indigenous people would see it through.
The rights include ensuring Scheduled Tribe status for the primarily Hindu Meitei and the Muslim Meitei-Pangal communities, a peaceful solution to the Naga political issue, repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
Mr. Hassan said the NPP’s appeal lies in its tag of a homegrown political party that can give a national dimension to the regional aspirations of the people. “The multi-ethnic and pluralistic region has been seeking a strong political platform for long. Our agenda of one northeast, one voice says it all,” he said.
