AGP showcases regional power

Assembly elections in Assam are five months away, but the aggressive opposition Asom Gana Parishad is not idling. It may no longer have form...

Assembly elections in Assam are five months away, but the aggressive opposition Asom Gana Parishad is not idling. It may no longer have former Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta in its ranks, but today it got top leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Mizo National Front (MNF), Naga People’s Front (NPF) and National Conference (NC) to launch its campaign to oust what they called the ‘‘most corrupt and inefficient government’’.

Leading the speakers was TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who, in his 30-minute speech in English and Roman Assamese, declared he was sure the AGP would be able to repeat its 1985 feat of removing the Congress from power in the state. ‘‘Law and order in Assam has broken down in the past four years, ethnic violence has crippled the state, the economy has gone to the dogs and the people have become restless,’’ Naidu said at a huge rally in the Judges Field here.

Accusing the Congress of neglecting Assam, Naidu said while it was the United Front government headed by H D Deve Gowda which introduced allocation of 10 per cent funds from all Central government departments for Assam and the North-East, the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress ministry in Assam had failed to utilise the funds.

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According to the former AP Chief Minister, the Congress and BJP were confined to a few states and that the days of national parties were over. ‘‘Regional parties have to play an increasingly important role,’’ Naidu said.

The Naga People’s Front (NPF) president and Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio reiterated what Naidu said. ‘‘The Congress has to be ousted. The people are safe only in the hands of regional parties,’’ he said.

AGP president Brindaban Goswami, on his part, said all-India parties had always pursued a policy of exploitation and deprivation in Assam. ‘‘Assam’s per capita income in 1950 was one of the highest in the country. Long years of Congress rule has brought it down to the bottom,’’ he pointed out. ‘‘Assam’s debt burden too has increased in the past four years of Congress rule.’’

Goswami hit out at the Congress for failing to control the law and order situation and cited as example Karbi Anglong district, mired in ethnic violence for two months now.

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