By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS
Guwahati : Assam’s beleaguered opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is desperately trying to make a comeback with its workers seeking a change in leadership and a re-merger in the party that split two years ago.
The AGP, currently in shambles, is holding its triennial conference in Guwahati with a three-day programme from Wednesday. The primary agenda is to boost the party’s sagging morale and get a new president.
“What we expect from this conference is to see that a decision is taken to reunite the party and have a new president who could give a new direction to the party that is currently rotting,” a senior AGP leader said requesting not to be named.
Several top AGP leaders have openly voiced their anger in party forums and admitted to being totally disillusioned with the handling of the party affairs by its present leader and president Brindaban Goswami.
“If we don’t get a new president in this meeting, I would think the future of the AGP is doomed,” another party leader said.
The cracks within the regional party that got a drubbing in the last two assembly elections at the hands of the ruling Congress widened further when 15 of the 19 legislators and an MP defied a party whip to abstain from voting in the recently concluded presidential elections.
At least four AGP lawmakers voted for Pratibha Patil, much to the delight of the ruling Congress party.
The AGP president is also accused of blocking moves for unification of the regional party with the faction created by former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in 205 and called AGP-Progressive (AGP-P).
Mahanta was replaced as party president by Goswami in 2001 on an alleged bigamy charge and then in 2005 was unceremoniously expelled on charges of “anti-party” activities from the party he founded two decades ago.
Mahanta denies both charges.
“It is time for the party to unite if regionalism is to survive. All the regional forces must come under one umbrella,” Hemanta Kalita, a leader of the AGP-P, told IANS.
Five regional parties, barring the AGP, have formed an umbrella group, seeking unification of the regional forces to fight the ruling Congress party in Assam.
“The need of the hour is to unite and work together instead of sticking to some false egos,” Kalita said.
“Goswami has failed to give the AGP a proper direction and there is no option other than reunification of the two AGP factions if regionalism has to survive in Assam.”
Among the names doing the rounds for the top post in the AGP is Sarbananda Sonowal, the firebrand party MP in the Lok Sabha.
“Sonowal is one person who can revive the party and give it a new dimension,” another AGP leader said.