Two decades since it came into existence, the Asom Gana Parishad has, for a change, relegated the issue of Bangladeshi influx to number two on its list of Assam’s “burning problems” with overall human development, including the growing unemployment, being identified as the most important problem of the state.The party’s election manifesto released by chief Brindaban Goswami here today, however, linked the two issues by saying that growing unemployment and economic backwardness of the state was a direct fallout of infiltration from Bangladesh, and reiterated that total implementation of the Assam Accord alone could settle the vexed issue of influx.The AGP also hit out at the Congress party for having amended provisions of the Foreigners’ Tribunal Order of 1964 and the amendments to certain provisions of the Citizenship Act in 1986 and 2004 and described these as conspiracies to further complicate the influx issue.The party’s manifesto also came down heavily on the Congress and BJP for having done precious little for solving the unemployment problem of Assam, and held the two parties responsible for failing to attract investors to the state.
