BJP President Nadda to visit Nagaland on Thursday

KOHIMA, (PTI): BJP president J P Nadda will arrive here on Thursday on his maiden visit to Nagaland after assuming charge of the party, sources in it said.

The assembly election in the northeastern state, where an all-party government is in power, is due in March next year.

Nadda is scheduled to address a public rally at Old Riphyim in Wokha district, BJP Nagaland media cell said on Wednesday.

He will also address BJP leaders in Kohima in the afternoon.

Nadda will leave for Delhi on Friday morning, the police said.

The BJP had gone to the state poll in 2018 with the slogan ‘Election for Solution’ to the decades-old Naga political problem. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on September 12 asked the Nagaland government’s core committee on Naga Political Issue (NPI) to convince the NSCN(IM) to ink the final agreement.

NSCN(IM)’s persistent demand for a separate flag and constitution has made the final solution elusive. Talks between the Centre and NSCN(IM) on the NPI had ended in October 2019. The BJP-led government at the Centre has been holding parallel peace parleys with NSCN(IM) and the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).

The NNPGs have expressed their willingness to go ahead with a solution with whatever is possible now and continue discussing the remaining issues after it. (PTI)