UDP quits NEDA over CAB

The United Democratic Party (UDP) of Meghalaya has decided to quit the alliance with BJP in the State. The party vice president, Allantry Franklin Dkhar, said, "The regrouping of all North Eastern Political Parties in Guwahati has rendered NEDA bereft of regional parties."

Dkhar also said that UDP is not a part of NDA, as NDA is a Parliamentary Alliance and the party has no MP in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. He further said that led by Donkupar Roy, the UDP strongly opposes Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and asked the government to seriously look into the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP).

It should be noted that Amit Shah on Sunday said that if the BJP comes back to power again, the party would revive the CAB. Shah's remarks have evoked sharp reactions among various political as well as indigenous organizations in the northeastern States as the CAB lapsed in Rajya Sabha after massive protests in the region.

Notably, UDP has 8 MLAs in the NPP-led government in Meghalaya.