Amidst the buzz about the creation of One North East initiative, former Chief Minister and TMC Legislature Party Leader Dr Mukul Sangma has asserted that the alleged “new regional configuration” is merely a repackaged continuation of an old political nexus. Positioning himself firmly outside the proposed bloc, Dr Sangma stated that the NPP-led MDA government is fundamentally “installed by BJP,” and therefore organically aligned with the saffron party’s political architecture. Setting the tone for a charged regional discourse, Dr Sangma argued that the current maneuverings by NPP chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma alongside TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma beside are neither novel nor surprising, but merely a continuation of long-standing political equations in the Northeast
Speaking on the initiative, Dr Sangma said, “The NPP-led MDA government in Meghalaya was installed by BJP, so they are part of the BJP, so also Pradyot he is a part of the BJP, they are together.” He made it clear he would not join the formation. On the broader projection of the North East Front, he remarked, “It is nothing new, Conrad K Sangma the incumbent Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Pradyot they have been together already, there is nothing new, they have been together, they are together and I know they will be together.”
Dr Sangma underscored that the political space will remain fluid, adding, “So they will have their own space that’s it, as I have seen there will be many freelancers the days will speak for itself, you will see for itself, so keep your fingers crossed you can see how political dynamics unfold in the years to come.” He further hinted at region-wide churn, stating, “There will be many surprises from the whole North East perspective for the good of our people but in as far as this very association is concerned, I don’t think it is new, it is there, it is just that they are trying to reach out in a larger scale.”
When asked why he viewed the emerging bloc as an extension of the BJP axis, he reiterated, “I have already said that this government was installed by BJP, so they are part of the BJP so also Pradyot he is a part of the BJP, they are together, where is the question, rather in fact you have to ask them whether they want to somehow distance themselves from BJP, that question has to be post to them, it has to be directed to them.”
On whether he was invited to join the initiative, he clarified, “So far no, I just heard they were talking that’s it and then I don’t think they, they should not also, and it will be like wasting their time.”
The political backdrop to his remarks is significant. For weeks, speculation intensified across the Northeast over whether a new regional front or an entirely new political entity was taking shape. The fog lifted after leaders from eight northeastern states held a quiet meeting at New Delhi’s Constitution Club in early November under a collaborative banner: One North East. The founding signatories include Conrad K Sangma, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma of TIPRA Motha, Mmhonlumo Kikon from Nagaland and Daniel Langthasa of the People’s Party Assam. A committee has already been constituted to frame the structure and modalities of the proposed political entity, with a 45-day deadline — signalling a consequential and evolving shift in the region’s political calculus.
