As Kejriwal moves towards Assam, Congress says should consider joining anti-BJP alliance in state

On April 2, addressing a large gathering of party workers in Guwahati, AAP national convener Kejriwal announced that the party, which has been trying to increase its national footprint, was also planning to make an entry in the state.

Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assam legislature, asked the AAP leadership to consider joining the alliance of Opposition parties that the Congress is trying to bring together ahead of the 2024 elections. Last month, the Congress, which is in a depleted position in the state at the moment, brought together nine state parties for the same.

Among those not part of the grouping so far are former Congress ally All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the AAP and Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The parties in the state are currently aligned along three poles: the BJP and allies, Congress and allies, and the AIUDF.

“Since there is still time, we ask the AAP’s Assam workers to think about it and speak to their national committee, so that all can join together and put up a united front against the BJP,” said Saikia on Monday.

However, Saikia also expressed suspicion towards the party, pointing out that Kejriwal had levelled an attack on the Congress at his meeting and has a long history of taking on the party.

“In Delhi, when there was a movement to bring a Lokpal Bill, the BJP stayed in the background but gave a platform to some groups. There was a man called Anna Hazare. After making all that noise then, he is sleeping now when the government is doing all its anti-democratic work. This was a conspiracy to remove the Congress from power and Arvind Kejriwal benefited by getting the (Delhi) Chief Minister’s position,” Saikia said.

Regional parties which are part of the alliance that the Congress is putting together echo the Congress’s position. Raijor Dol leader Akhil Gogoi said “the people of India can only accept Arvind Kejriwal when he says that he and his party will not contest the 2024 elections alone”.

Kejriwal’s visit to the state captured attention because of the war of words between him and Sarma, with the Assam CM threatening to slap a defamation case if the AAP national convener called him corrupt while in Assam.

Gogoi suggested that this was curious. “Why did Himanta Biswa Sarma make statements like that even before Kejriwal arrived in the state? Is it that the news of Kerjiwal coming to the state was sought to be brought to attention?”

Gogoi, who was part of the India Against Corruption movement spearheaded by Kejriwal before he formally entered politics, added that the AAP leader was “a very close friend of mine”. “Politically, we prefer Arvind Kejriwal to the BJP by a thousand times. But you must have seen the politics in Gujarat. The AAP got a lot of attention and you saw the results. The votes were divided between the AAP and Congress, and the BJP walked away with Gujarat.”

Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the president of regional outfit Asom Jatiya Parishad, said that for the Opposition parties, the priority ahead of the 2024 polls should be ensuring the defeat of the BJP.

“Democracy is under threat. To save democracy, defeating the BJP is the main thing. All parties will do politics and so will Arvind Kejriwal. But in 2024, we have to say goodbye to the BJP and for that, the Opposition needs to be united because if the vote is divided, the BJP will benefit. So you may make good schools and good hospitals but that means nothing without democracy,” he said.

Asked about an alliance, AAP Assam convener Bhaben Choudhury said this can be taken up only at the national level. “In any case, first we will be looking at the panchayat elections later this year. I don’t think other parties will contest those in alliance either,” he said.