Almost three decades after its formation, Assam’s most prominent regional political party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is seemingly a sinking ship now. The 2014 lok Sabha elections will be a litmus test for the AGP in Assam.
Born out of the six-year-long anti-foreigners agitation between 1979 and 1985 — spearheaded by the powerful All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) — the AGP is battling for its survival in the wake of its dipping popularity.
The party is also suffering due to dissension from within - while many prominent leaders had already left the party in last few years, many are still planning to leave the party due to ‘dictatorial’ attitude of a few leaders. Prominent among who had already left the party includes BJP State unit president Sarbananda Sonowal. On Saturday, former AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary had tendered his resignation to the party and rumours doing the rounds that he is likely to join the BJP in a day or two. It is also said that Patowary is likely to contest the lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket from Barpeta constituency.
Once force to reckon with, the regional political party had ruled Assam twice - 1985 to 1990 and 1996 to 2001. It is alleged that banned United liberation Front of Assam or Ulfa grew significantly owing to AGP’s patronage during its first term. The AGP’s second term was marked by the secret killings of Ulfa relatives by masked-men allegedly at the behest of the Government.
The AGP has not won a single election since 2001 after having been decimated by the Congress which grew in strength under the leadership of incumbent Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Dissidence within the party and failure to reach out to the people are blamed for the decimation.
Former vice-president of the AGP, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharyya said that the regional party had failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Assam despite the fact that it was in power for two terms in the State. “lack of political farsightedness, lack of proper leadership and lack of clear political vision has led the once strongest political party in Assam to lose its ground across the State,” Bhattacharyya, who had joined the Congress, last year said.
“Most of the committed leaders of the party had either left the party or are planning to leave it soon. Some top leaders of the party who is adamantly holding their portfolios in the party are also responsible for the debacle of the party. These leaders are not open to new ideas and suggestions and the adamant nature of these leaders are also responsible for the party’s status at present,” he said. The AGP had come to the saddle in 1985 by promising among others to rid Assam of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. But it allegedly did nothing on that count despite being in power for two terms.
“The party came to power in 1985 and engaged in large scale corruption till 1990 and built personnel wealth. They have also failed to fulfil their commitment to implement the Assam Accord and largely ignored the various ethnic communities in Assam during this period. After that the party lost in 1991 polls. However, the people of Assam voted them back to power again in 1996 but the party again engaged in misusing power. From 1996 to 2001, the AGP conducted large scale secret killing in the regional belts of Assam,” said Senior Advocate of Gauhati High Court Nekibur Zaman, also an active participant of the historical Assam Movement.
“Historically, the people of Assam had an anti-Congress mindset since the Independence of the country. However, it is because of the corruption and misuse of power by the party that it lost the faith of the people. Now people of Assam had lost their faith on regionalism and started supporting the BJP to maintain their anti-Congress stand,” he said.