Statehood body mulls withdrawing support from BJP for 2019

An umbrella body of various groups across the country fighting for separate states today criticised BJP of not fulfilling its promise to create new states and said it will decide on July 26 whether it will support the party in the next Lok Sabha poll.

The National Federation for New States (NFNS) president Shreehari Aney told a press conference here that if a decision is taken against aligning with the BJP then the individual groups will take a call whether to continue their partnerships with it at the local levels as many of them like IPFT in Tripura are part of the ruling alliance.

"In 2014 BJP had promised to create small states. Many of the MPs also support it. Unfortunately, neither our prime minister Narendra Modi nor BJP president Amit Shah have the desire to take any step in that direction," he said.

BJP, he said, had used the separate state demand by various groups across the country as a political tool to gain more seats by promising them favourably.

"We understand that separate states cannot be created only through agitation.

We have to become a political force. So, we have decided that our constituents will consider forming political outfits for the 2019 polls," Aney said.

The NFNS core committee will meet in Delhi on July 26 and will take the decision whether to support BJP or go with the opposition or fight the next general elections on its own, he said.

NFNS joint secretary Pramod Baro said the statehood groups under the organisation had supported BJP in the 2014 general election but the statehood issue was not addressed by the party in the last four years.

"BJP only talks about issues, but does not take any step," he said.

The political parties which may be floated by all the eight groups under NFNS can become a significant block in national politics influencing more than 30 seats, Boro added.