It took the core committee of Assam Congress five long hours to decide whether it should continue to have its key partner All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in the Mahajot (Grand Alliance) or part ways if the beleaguered national party needs to better its performance in the ensuing bypolls. The focus was particularly on the three Upper Assam constituencies.
However, the “break up” decision took much less time than the effort it needed to stitch the Grand Alliance ahead of the assembly elections this year that the Congress and AIUDF contested hand in hand or as “ tala-chabi” ( lock and key, party symbol of AIUDF).
By late Monday evening, things were clear and the core committee was unanimous in its resolve— “time to shunt team Badruddin Ajmal and AIUDF out of the alliance”— for obvious reasons, which senior Congress Rakibul Hussain read out to the press.
“The committee observed that Mahajot alliance partner AIUDF’s behaviour and attitude in relation to the BJP has baffled the members of the Congress party. The AIUDF leadership’s and senior members’ continuous and mysterious praise of the BJP and the chief minister has affected the public perception of the Congress party. In this connection after a long discussion, the core committee members of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee unanimously decided that AIUDF can no longer remain an alliance partner of Mahajot and in this regard will send an intimation to AICC,” the release read.
The decision, which sounded more like a disciplinary action, if taken a couple of months earlier could possibly have saved the Congress from attrition. Three prominent leaders— Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, Thowra MLA Sushanta Borgohain and former MP Sushmita Dev left the party, with disgruntlement over the alliance with the AIUDF one of the key factors. Three-time member of the legislative assembly Kurmi almost created a parallel front within the APCC ahead of the assembly elections with like-minded leaders who opposed the party’s decision to bring the AIUDF in the Mahajot. They called it the “Mahajut”, or massive tangle. It was after the pursuance of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and senior leaders that the revolt was suppressed, but not for long.
In the pre-poll alliance, the AIUDF was the strongest partner of the Congress with the second-highest number of MLAs and played a significant role in improving the party tally to 50 in the 126-member assembly. Besides the Congress, AIUDF and BPF, that 10-party alliance comprised the Jimochayan (Deori) People’s Party (JDPP), Adivasi National Party (ANP), CPI (M), CPI, CPI (ML), Anchalik Gana Morcha, and the RJD. The alliance won 50 seats in the assembly polls with Congress securing 29, AIUDF 16, BPF four and the CPI (M) one. Though the AIUDF’s performance was consistent, it was the Congress that did not fare well, more so in its bastion of Upper Assam and the tea belts.
Did the AIUDF not play as a team? Was praising the captain of the opposite team an unforgivable crime?
“The Congress definitely has good reasons for its decision and we have nothing to say. However, I have a question: they have said that some of our MLAs have praised the chief minister in public fora. Why did the same party then not take any action against its MLA from Titabor who the other day was seen on a public platform with the chief minister garlanding him? If any party has praised Himanta Biswa Sarma more, then it’s the Congress. I wish the Congress a grand success in the ensuing by-election of Upper Assam,” said Karimuddin Barbhuyan, MLA and national general secretary of the AIUDF.
The AIUDF’s only Hindu MLA Phanidhar Talukdar, meanwhile, looks all set to join the BJP on September 1.
So, in all this, what has Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi been doing in Delhi? According to the legislator, he has met many leaders in the national capital and will be meeting Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. Prior to this the leader of Raijor Dol (regional party) met APCC chief Bhupen Bora in Sibsagar and former president of Assam Pradesh Congress Ripun Bora in New Delhi. The decks for Raijor Dol joining the Mahajot were almost cleared in these meetings. The only condition was that the AIUDF should not be in the alliance anymore.
“Ahead of the elections we had a meeting in Rajasthan Bhawan in Delhi where things were almost finalised. Raijor Dol was joining the alliance. Several leaders met me in hospital. Jitendra Singh was supposed to meet me on February 14. The Congress ditched us then. We were prepared to contest the polls together but then the Congress betrayed. This time I believe that we can come up with good results in all the five constituencies in the by-elections. The three constituencies of Upper Assam…I am sure of our performance,” said Gogoi.
The lengthy Monday meeting of the APCC core committee also deliberated upon its alliance with the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). “Since the BPF had already expressed its unwillingness in various forums to remain in the Mahajot, therefore, the president APCC has been given full authority to take a decision on this matter and intimate the high command,” read the release of the meeting.
“This has been done only to fight the by-elections of Upper Assam. They will tie up before the Lok Sabha polls again even if it is a secret alliance,” said Sushmita Dev, now a Trinamool Congress leader.
The AICC now needs to deliberate upon the decision of the Assam Pradesh Congress. Will proximity with the Raijor Dol and Akhil Gogoi and distancing from AIUDF and Badruddin Ajmal pay dividends for the Congress? Will the new dynamics of the alliance do the trick for the party that today is running short of content to counter the government?The by-elections are not very far away.
“The Congress and AIUDF are two sides of the same coin. There is no question of the BJP embracing the AIUDF. We have our alliance and understanding with the AGP and UPPL and will fight the by-elections together. We are hardly bothered with what’s happening in the Mahajot,” said Dilip Saikia, national secretary of the BJP.
