JD-U to contest Lok Sabha polls from Assam, Manipur

Guwahati, Feb 16 (IANS) Bihar's ruling Janta Dal-United (JD-U) on Saturday said it will contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls from two northeastern states - Assam and Manipur.Party General Secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan said they will field candidates from these two states, mainly on secularism and development agenda, but refused to disclose how many seats the JD-U will be contesting.Active in the northeastern states and are also part of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-led government in Nagaland, the JD-U had recently supported the movement against the Citizenship bill in Assam and other northeastern states. A JD-U delegation also visited Assam in the wake of protests against the contentious Bill last month and said that they would oppose the bill in the Rajya Sabha. The team met most of the organisations agitating against the Citizenship Bill.Khan on Saturday complemented the people from all walks of life for supporting their movement against the bill and said that while this is a temporary relief, the battle against the communal forces are not over yet and that the people of the northeast must remain alert and united against these forces.
--IANS ah/vd