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Rediff.com  » Election » Sangma distances himself from UPA, to campaign for BJP

Sangma distances himself from UPA, to campaign for BJP

Source: PTI
March 23, 2009 17:01 IST
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Distancing himself from the United Progressive Alliance, Nationalist Congress Party leader P A Sangma has said he would campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the run-up to the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

"I will campaign for the BJP in Arunachal's West constituency (for Kiren Rijiju) and Sikkim (for S S Ahluwalia)," Sangma told a local news channel on Sunday night.

On Sunday in Guwahati, Sangma had cobbled up a non-Congress political forum in the North East comprising of 13 parties, which, he said, would aggressively campaign against the UPA in the forthcoming LS polls.

The forum North East Peoples Forum included the Asom Gana Parishad, the Asom United Democratic Front, the BJP, the Bodoland Peoples Progressive Front, the Nagaland People's Front, the Manipur Peoples Party and the Communist Party of India.

Sangma, on a campaign to enlist support for the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance demanding revocation of the Central rule in Meghalaya, claimed, "UPA will undoubtedly collapse in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections."

Pointing to the rift between the United Progressive Alliance and the Lok Janshakti Party

and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, Sangma said the collapse of the UPA has now\ become 'imminent'.

Asked about his party president and Union minister Sharad Pawar's role when the Union cabinet recommended the President's Rule in Meghalaya, he said, "Pawar protested it,  but he was sidelined. Its majority that matters in democracy. The Congress bulldozed Central Rule in Meghalaya. Its their culture."

The NCP leader had met BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and leaders of the Left and the Janata Dal-United to drum up support for his campaign against the Centre's decision.

Sangma, the founder member of NCP, also said the tie-up between the NCP and the Congress was limited to seat sharing in Maharashtra

Originally a Congressman, Sangma was a founder member of the NCP, before he along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar were expelled from the Congress for questioning the right of Sonia Gandhi to lead the party in 1999.

In 2004, Sangma created a split in the NCP. Sangma's faction merged with the Trinamool Congress. A year later, he returned to NCP.

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