How will AGP unification impact Barak Valley?

Special Correspondent
SILCHAR, Sept 23: In the wake of the unification of the two factions of AGP and the selection of Chandra Mohan Patowary as its president, certain relevant questions have come to the fore in the political arena of Barak Valley. The most important of them is its impact in the valley and change in political equation and most significantly the possibility of its emergence as a challenge to the formidable Congress, BJP and AUDF.

Barak Valley has been known as the citadel of Congress till 1991 when saffron surge for the first time made a meteoric rise and upset the apple cart of INC dramatically. In all fairness, Congress and BJP are the main rivals who besides facing challenge from each other have another strong rival in AUDF since its debut in 2006, floated by Badaruddin Azmal.

The political analysis will give grass root idea of the political scenario and the juxtaposition of an unified and bolstered up AGP. Since the coming into being of AGP in 1985, without mincing words, it has failed to create any ripples of significance. Shahidul Alam Chowdhury and Joy Prakash Tiwari contested as independents from Algapur and Udharbond constituencies in the assembly elections of 1985. Both of them won with significant margin, defeating prominent Congress leaders of the time, Nepal Chandra Das and Jagannth Sinha, also a veteran INTUC leader.

Shahidul Alam Chowdhury and Joy Prakash Tiwari were wise and wily enough to join AGP to better their fortunes, knowing fully well that it was the turn of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Bhrigu Kumar Phukan to take control of the reign of power at Dispur. The student wing AASU was crammed by turn coat Congress workers. While Joy Prakash Tiwari failed to win any other election, Shahidul Alam Chowdhury maintained his wining spree till he was upset by Rahul Roy of Congress, son of Gautom Roy, Minister of Excise and Border Area Development, in 2006. The tale of AGP candidates at the hustings from 1985 to 2006 has been quite dismal for the simple reason it has failed to win the confidence of people and take firm footing in the valley.

In the last Assembly polls, of the 15 seats, Congress bagged 8, BJP 4 and AUDF 3. AGP candidates of both the factions were badly drubbed. Serious reckoning and introspection is needed to examine the acceptance of AGP in the valley. But, what the journalists witnessed at a press-conference convened at the Itkhola residence of Joy Prakash Tiwari on Monday to announce the merger of both the factions does not augur well.

Aminul Haque Laskar, a district level leader, expressed openly his reservation about the leadership of Shahidul Alam Chowdhury, a powerful minister and the most trusted lieutenant of Mahanta. Naba Gopal Das, former president of a faction, who was in Guwahati, questioned over cell phone to another leader about the holding of press-meet which he described as “illegal”. To which Shivaji Das Chowdhury, another leader, overriding the objection of Das, described him as “a ready made president of no consequence”.

If AGP leaders are serious about their business to take the party to masses in order to take on their rivals and in particular defeat Congress and come to power in 2011 as is being projected, they will have to concentrate on unified move, not cosmetic, and build up the party from the grass root level. Challenges are myriad. Party leaders have to understand it.

source: sentinel assam