NPP is still partner of NDA: Meghalaya CM

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday said that his party, National People's Party (NPP), is still a partner of the BJP-led NDA, after the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha. "Yes, we are still with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the question of walking out of the alliance does not arise," Sangma told journalists.

The NPP chief had warned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it would snap ties with the NDA if the government tabled the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha. "They (BJP) also understand our sentiments... We have been clear and have decided that if such situation arises, we will take a political decision at an appropriate time," he said.

"There is no politics in this. We all are here as residents of Northeast. We have come together because it is an issue that affects us. I am grateful that political parties across the country realised our concerns on the Bill which is not an issue of just the Northeast but of the whole country," Sangma said.