AGP the biggest loser in Assam polls

Guwahati, May 17 :  The regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has emerged as the biggest loser, while the minority-based Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) has turned out to be a major spoiler for the ruling Congress party in the 2009 general elections in Assam.

“The biggest casualty is undoubtedly the AGP as the party fared miserably in the polls having won just one seat compared to two seats it won in the 2004 elections,” Akhil Ranjan Dutta, a political science teacher at Gauhati University, told IANS.
The AGP this time had a seat sharing agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Of the 14 parliamentary seats, the Congress won seven seats, while its alliance partner the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) bagged one. The BJP won four seats - an increase in two seats compared to 2004 - while both the AGP and the AUDF got one each.
“The AGP’s gamble failed on two counts - the way they thought the transfer of votes from the BJP to their candidates would take place did not work out and secondly the regional party lost their minority Muslim support base this time by aligning with the saffron party,” said Wasbir Hussain, a political analyst.
“The AGP’s regional character has gone for a big toss now and there is bound to be questions raised over their decision from within the party,” he added.
The AGP leadership is trying to put up a brave front.
“We accept the verdict of the people of Assam and things did not go according to expectations,” said AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary.
There were questions now asked if the AGP-BJP tie up would continue till the 2011 assembly elections - an announcement the two parties made earlier.
“We would discuss all issues within the party,” Patowary added.
The Congress that won nine seats in 2004 had to be content with seven seats this time, although the party leadership is not too disappointed with the results.
“We are generally happy at the results, although we expected at least one or two more seats. But one must appreciate the fact that it was a united opposition this time with the AGP-BJP and even the AUDF targeting Congress only in the electioneering,” Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told IANS.
What came as a surprise is the emergence of the AUDF, a party formed by perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal.
The AUDF may have won just one seat - Ajmal won the Dhubri parliamentary seat - but the party managed to split the Muslim votes and really spoiled the winning chances of the Congress party candidates on four seats - Silchar, Mangaldoi, Tezpur, and Nagaon.
“It is true the AUDF was a factor, but I am still sticking to my stand of not aligning with the AUDF,” Gogoi said.
“It is true the BJP gained at the expense of the AGP, while the AGP was left high and dry and in fact lost its credibility. Even in 2001, the AGP tied up with the BJP during the assembly elections and that time as well they were humiliated in the elections,” said Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

‘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.

AGP stand

Guwahati, March 15 : The Asom Gana Parishad today asserted that the Congress in Assam did not have any proof to substantiate its allegation that money had changed hands to seal the AGP-BJP poll pact.

“Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who whipped up the issue, does not seem to have any proof of money playing a part in the AGP-BJP alliance and is just hoodwinking the people,” AGP spokesman Atul Bora said at a news conference today.

On Friday, Sarma had challenged the AGP to go to the court, stating that he had enough evidence to prove that transaction of cash played a part in the alliance with the BJP, which will see the regional party contesting six seats and the national party eight.

Sarma had said, on the day the AGP had released its candidates’ list on March 8, that he had “circumstantial evidence” to prove the cash transaction to ensure the alliance.

Bora said there was no reason for the party to hide the evidence if it has any. He said by resorting to such an act which cannot be proved, the Congress should feel ashamed of this. “He (Sarma) has a habit of doing these things,” he said.

Padma Hazarika, who is in-charge of the finance wing of the AGP, said he would resign immediately if it was proved that cash played a part in forming the alliance with the BJP. “He (Sarma) is a responsible man and should think carefully before doing anything or saying anything,” Hazarika said.

The party also announced that joint campaigning would soon start once the BJP announces its list, which can be anytime now.

Bora said the main issues, which the party would be raising, are deteriorating law and order situation, corruption, rising unemployment, inter-state boundary problem.

War of words between Congress and AGP-BJP alliance

Chandra Mohan Patowary, the president of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Assam’s main opposition political party, has appealed to politicians to avoid slanderous personal attacks and inflammatory speeches while campaigning for the parliamentary elections in April 2009.
The war of words has turned bitter between the two main rivals - the Congress and the AGP-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance - ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. It started with the Congress accusing the AGP of being a party of ‘prostitutes’ after they stitched a pre-poll pact with the BJP. Patowary countered the charges at a press conference by calling Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi a ’servant’ of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
“Things are already getting dirty with Congress leaders starting a vilification campaign, prompting us to counter such charges with equally harsh words. People of Assam really don’t like such war of words and don’t expect us to behave in such manner,” the AGP president told IANS.
‘I didn’t want to term the chief minister a servant, but as leader of the AGP I had to defend my party and hence used such a bad word. Let the Congress party apologise and after that I am ready to say sorry for using the word servant,” Patowary said.
The AGP leader also challenged the Congress party to prove charges that the tie-up with the BJP was made possible after monetary transactions. Patowary also said in confidence that the AGP-BJP combine would be able to beat the Congress in Assam, as the people of Assam are sick and tired of the Congress.

AGP acts tough on Hussain

GUWAHATI, Jan 15 : The AGP today stripped its MLA Nurul Hussain from all party portfolios, including that of general secretary and member of the party’s steering committee, on charges of his having links with ISI agents.

This was officially stated today by AGP chief spokesperson Atul Bora on behalf of the party president Chandra Mohan Patowary. Bora said, “Hussain has acted against the ideology of the party and, as such, it has been decided to strip him of all party portfolios.”

A three-member committee, comprising Dr Kamala Kalita, Pabindra Deka and Sahidul Alam Choudhury, has also been formed to enquire into Hussain’s alleged links with the ISI.

The AGP had earlier issued a show-cause notice to Hussain asking him as to why action should not be initiated against him for going against the ideology of the party and for breaking party discipline. Hussain had allegedly met nine ISI agents in the Guwahati jail, who were later freed by the court due to lack of substantial evidence against them.

The issue cropped up during the debate on the Governor’s speech in the Assam Assembly on January 9 last. Taking a dig at the main Opposition, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah had alleged that Hussain, along with CPI(M) MLA Ananta Deka, had gone to the Guwahati jail to meet the ISI agents.