Shillong, Feb 03: The Congress on Saturday said that the NPP cannot hide its close relationship with the BJP and went on projecting Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar as the next Prime Minister because it is so “desperate and nervous.”

“Though the NPP is projecting Nitish Kumar as the next Prime Minister, but it is having an alliance with the BJP and has been supporting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and work together with the BJP in other states too,” AICC media-coordinator, Bobbeeta Sharma told reporters at Congress Bhavan on Saturday.

On Friday, NPP state president W.R. Kharlukhi said that the NPP despite being an ally of the NDA government but the party is fighting the BJP in Meghalaya.

“The fact remains that the NPP is supporting the BJP. Why there is sudden embarrassment now? If they say the NPP is not with the BJP, then why don’t they leave the NDA?” Sharma said.

Congress spokesperson, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh said the NPP is also working together with the BJP in North East Democratic Alliance.

The Congress also claimed that the NPP is a proxy of the BJP and had invited NPP leaders from Jaiñtia and Garo hills to Guwahati to decide on their candidates.

“The BJP has even shifted its weak candidate Banteilang Rumnong from Sohra to Pynursla as a deal to help NPP candidate Prestone Tynsong in Pynursla. Their (NPP’s) close alliance with the BJP is clear from all their actions and facts on the ground.”

The statement also quoted Shillong MP and PCC working president Vincent H. Pala as saying, “The NPP is trying very hard to convey to the people of Meghalaya that it is fighting the BJP in the state. But the people of the state are intelligent and cannot be fooled by such false claims.”

Dubbing the NPP and the BJP as “two sides of the same coin” the statement said, “To say that they are not together is all hogwash”.

Meanwhile, Lyngdoh said the BJP’s claims of getting a majority holds no water as it could not even field candidates in all the 60 seats.

He said that Congress candidates from three remaining constituencies would be announced soon as the party did not want to pick any Tom, Dick and Harry like the BJP.

“The BJP is fielding candidates just for the sake of fielding. This time, the party has not given tickets to businessmen or contractors but has preferred professionals because legislators are meant to legislate laws and debate in Assembly and not to do business,” Lyngdoh said, adding that the NPP would get only “single digit” in the upcoming Assembly polls.