The Asom Gana Parishad has suddenly emerged as an important entity. Soon after the regional party announced its seat-sharing deal with the BJP, ruling Congress leaders, including chief minister Tarun Gogoi, have been making comments.
An influential minister in the Gogoi cabinet, Hemanta Biswa Sarma, condemned it as a shame for regional politics. Another minister, Pradyut Bordoloi, described it as an unsuccessful relationship. Assam Pradesh Congress chief Bhubaneswar Kalita predicted its failure. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the AGP had damaged the future of regional politics (by tying up with the communal BJP).
Assam goes to the polls in two phases — on 16 and 23 April. Following the revision of electoral rolls, altogether 17,468, 958 are eligible to vote.
The AGP-BJP deal was finalised in New Delhi. Born out of the historic Assam agitation led by the All Assam Students’ Union in the ’80s, the AGP tasted power from 1985- 1990 and 1996-2001. The party, however, did not live up to mainstream Assamese expectations.
It split twice — in 1991 when some stalwarts formed the Natun Asom Gana Parishad but it united in 1994 and this helped the party bounce back to power in the 1996 assembly elections; and then it split again before the 2006 assembly elections when two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta parted company with the parent body and formed his own Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive). But he returned to the party fold in October last year with the objective of ousting the ruling Congress.
The responsibility of furbishing the AGP’s image was entrusted to Chandra Mohan Patowary when he was elected president last year, replacing Brindabon Goswami.
He clarified that his party was not a partner of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the understanding for the Lok Sabha was only for seat sharing. He said the alliance would definitely prevent the Congress from taking advantage (as they did in earlier polls).
Gogoi has admitted that the AGP-BJP tie-up will be a factor in the polls, but described both the alliance partners as “betrayers'. He asserted that since the two “betrayers” had come together, it had become easy for the Congress to win the elections. He was particularly critical of AGP leaders for “surrendering” to the BJP in the name of electoral alliance.
Patowary told a press conference that “I am surprised why the Congress leaders, including Gogoi, are so vocal on the issue. It is absolutely our preference and decision. Gogoi and his ministerial colleagues should rather concentrate on their strategies for the polls.”
Political analysts feel the combined AGP-BJP vote shares may brighten their prospects. Even if the alliance is unable to do well in the parliamentary election, it can give a good account of itself in the 2011 assembly elections. The AGP-BJP tie-up may reduce the division of anti-Congress votes.
Another big challenge for the Congress will come from the Assam United Democratic Front headed by Badaruddin Ajmal. Talks are on for an electoral tie-up between the Congress and the AUDF, but Gogoi does not seem to favour it.
But with Central leaders reportedly in favour, he might have to change his stand.
(The author is a Guwahati-based freelance contributor.)
