Chidambaram calls on anti-BJP parties in the Northeast to unite.

P.A. Chidambaram, a veteran Congress leader, and Rajya Sabha MP urged anti-BJP parties in the Northeast to combine together and stick to their political ideologies.

"All I can reiterate and emphasise is that if you want to defeat the BJP in an election, whether it's a state election or a national election, all anti-BJP parties in the Northeast must come together," Chidambaram told reporters on the sidelines of the state-level training camp for party members organised by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra here on Thursday.

People will question the earnestness of the parties opposing the BJP in the Northeast if they refuse to join the non-BJP front, he said.

"So, if the Northeast is to advance faster, its political parties must stick to certain ideals...whether you win or lose elections, you must stick to your political ideologies," said the former four-time Union finance minister.

"Today, consider how many ministers in the Northeast were formerly members of Congress... If the Congress regains control in Delhi, I wouldn't be astonished if they move back to the Congress," he remarked.

"The party's defeat in the Northeast is due to leaders who refused to stick to their ideological convictions. "I can mention a lot of persons who were members of the Congress for a long time but changed their ideas," Chidambaram stated.