‘Outsider’ Deka flaunts unity

BJP Assam unit chief and Mangaldoi Lok Sabha constituency candidate Ramen Deka at the news meet in Guwahati on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, March 28 : The BJP and AGP today vowed to ensure victory for its combined candidate to the Mangaldoi seat, Ramen Deka, who is also the president of the BJP’s state unit.

The initiative comes in the wake of a section of the local leaders of both the parties vehemently opposing Deka’s candidature, terming him an “outsider” in the constituency.

Putting up a brave front against the challenge to his candidature, Deka said the issue had been sorted out and now workers of both parties were steadfastly behind him.

To buttress his claim, Deka today addressed a news conference here flanked by the former and present legislators of the AGP from the constituency.

Former AGP legislator from Sipajhar, Zoii Nath Sarma, said all the AGP units under the Mangaldoi parliamentary constituency were working for Deka’s victory.

He said the AGP’s grassroots workers would do everything to ensure that the AGP vote was transferred to the BJP this time.

Sarma alleged the Congress was trying to play the communal card to dissuade the minorities from backing the AGP-BJP combine in the constituency. He said the people would not be fooled by the Congress propaganda.

Echoing Sarma’s view, another senior AGP leader Moidul Islam Bora said even the minorities were very enthusiastic about the prospect of the AGP-BJP combine.

The AGP and BJP leaders claimed the development of Assam could be ensured only if a non-Congress government was installed at the Centre.

Even in the past, it was only a non-Congress government, which accorded special attention to the state and announced various development packages for the region.

In contrast, during the Congress regime, the people of Assam had to come out to the streets for construction of a bridge over the Brahmaputra or to set up an oil refinery in the state.

Another senior AGP leader, Thaneswar Boro, said, the Congress even failed to protect the boundary of the state.

Chipping in, Deka reeled out a number of initiatives the NDA government had taken for the region, including creation of a separate department for the development of the Northeast.