Shillong, December 2: Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Vincent H. Pala has cast serious doubts over the credibility and intent of the newly launched One North East (ONE) political platform, alleging that it is a “BJP-backed decoy” designed to expand the party’s influence in the region while masking its direct involvement.
The ONE collective - which includes the National People’s Party (NPP), TIPRA Motha, and several other regional organisations - presents itself as a unified voice for the Northeast. However, Pala asserted that the platform serves as “another doorway for the BJP to reach voters who would otherwise reject the party.”
According to Pala, many tribal communities in the Northeast remain resistant to the BJP’s “Hindutva-driven politics,” prompting the party to create or support alternative regional groupings that appear independent but allegedly align with its ideological and political objectives.
Pala also claimed that he once overheard a conversation between BJP and RSS members at an airport, suggesting that the ONE platform was conceptualised to draw in voters who were not aligned with Congress but sympathetic to the BJP’s broader political direction.
Highlighting the existing ties between ONE constituents and the BJP, Pala remarked that parties such as the NPP and TIPRA Motha are “already known allies” of the ruling party. “If you look at who is inside that basket, they’re all friends of the BJP,” he said.
The MPCC president urged people across the Northeast to scrutinise the platform carefully, cautioning that “there is no real difference between ONE and the BJP.” He called on voters to stay vigilant and fully understand what the new political formation represents ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.
The Congress leader’s comments come as political dynamics in the region continue to shift, with alliances and regional blocs playing an increasingly significant role in shaping the Northeast’s electoral landscape.
