Why Ajmal is no longer anathema to Tarun Gogoi

Today,personal equations are set to be overshadowed by political compulsions. Gogoi has announced he has nothing against allying with Ajmal and his AUDF in Assam,since Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh want it.

The AUDF has been already an ally of the Congress in the UPA. It should have been an ally in Assam too,but that had not happened so far because of my objections, Gogoi said on Tuesday. Now that the prime minister and the Congress president have desired that,who am I to oppose it?

Shortly after that,all 18 AUDF legislators called on the chief minister and spent 20 minutes with him. Legislature party leader Sirajuddin Ajmal,Badruddins younger brother,told reporters he had no comments.

Noni Gopal Mahanta,who teaches political science at Gauhati University,senses a personal interest in Gogois move. Gogoi probably wants to ensure his sons entry to the Lok Sabha from Kaliabor,for which the Muslim vote is very crucial, said Mahanta. What is going to happen is the complete marginalisation of opposition parties such as the AGP and the BJP,as also tribal groups such as the Bodo Peoples Front.

The AUDFs 18 members make it the second largest party in the 126-member assembly,with the AGP a poor third with 10. Though the Congress has an overwhelming majority with 78,it has felt the need for taking Ajmal on board ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,for his clout among Muslims goes nationwide.

Ajmal,63,the lone Lok Sabha member of the AUDF now All India United Democratic Front,has a network of over 500 perfume outlets worldwide. He is a Fazil-e-Deoband equivalent to a masters degree in Islamic theology,a member of the advisory board of Darul Uloom,Deoband,and a central working committee member of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. He is a key functionary in several charitable organisations and educational and healthcare institutions,and heads Markazul Maarif Education and Research Centre,Mumbai,which teaches English and computer skills to madrasa graduates and promotes research on socio-religious and economic fields.

The Congress desperately needs a convincing leader from the religious minority in order to prevent the BJP-led NDA from getting close to power. Whether as an ally or as a member,Ajmal is currently the best available choice,because he can help the Congress regain at least three of the four Lok Sabha seats the BJP won in Assam in 2009. His presence will also help the party regain a sizeable part of the Muslim support that it originally had in UP,Bihar,Bengal,Maharashtra,even in the south, said Guwahati-based veteran journalist Haider Hussain.

It was Ajmals AUDF that allowed the BJP to win four Lok Sabha seats in 2009,taking away 71,000 votes in Guawhati,over 1.75 lakh in Mangaldoi,about 2.25 lakh in Silchar,and about 2 lakh in Nagaon,all these traditionally being Congress seats.

Any tie-up,however,could upset two sections within the Congress. At least one minister said,,without naming the AUDF,that the Congress cannot forge an alliance with any communal party. Any such alliance has to be first discussed within the party, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The other worried section is the Congresss Muslim legislators,whose relevance is now likely to be weighed against Ajmals. None of the 11 MLAs,three of whom are ministers,is willing to go on record yet. They will meet on Thursday to discuss the possible fallouts of an alliance.