Aspirants who lost out protest in Assam

BPF may review support to the Tarun Gogoi government


Guwahati: The exclusion of certain aspirants from Assam in the Manmohan Singh Ministry has created political unease.

The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), a coalition partner of the Congress in the State, is reviewing its support to the Tarun Gogoi government in protest against the non-inclusion of its lone MP, Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary.

BPF chief Hagrma Mahilary and Mr. Bwiswmuthiary expressed resentment that despite their party being a pre-poll ally of the United Progressive Alliance, it was denied a berth. The BPF central committee is set to meet on June 4 to decide on the issue.

In the 126-member Assam Assembly the Congress has 54 legislators. The BPF has 11 members, three of whom are in the Gogoi Cabinet. The effective House strength is down to 125 following the resignation of Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal.

The legislator from the South Salmara Assembly constituency quit after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Dhubri constituency. Thus the AUDF’s strength stands at nine.

The Congress now has 54 members, the BPF has 11, the Asom Gana Parishad has 25, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 10, the AUDF has nine and the CPI(M) has two.
The CPI, the Autonomous State Demand Committee and the Nationalist Congress Party have one each. There are also 11 independents.
Resentment has also surfaced among Congress leaders and workers as only one of its seven MPs — Bijoy Krishna Handique — has found a berth, while both the MPs from Meghalaya — one from the Congress, Vincent H. Pala, and the other from the NCP, Agatha Sangma — have been inducted. The latter is the youngest Minister.
The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, the tea workers’ union backed by the Congress, and the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association have voiced resentment over the non-inclusion of the Congress MP from Dibrugarh, Paban Singh Ghatowar. A representative of the tea tribes, he is the ACMS president. Effigies of Mr. Gogoi were burnt by protestors in tea gardens in Upper Assam.

AUDF worker hacked, clash in Kokrajhar

Zero voting in 12 booths

An old woman walks towards a polling booth at Gamchacobra village near Agartala on Thursday. (Reuters) April 24 : An AUDF leader was hacked to death while seven persons were injured in a group clash soon after polling ended in the state today, registering 62.5 per cent turnout. In another incident, the body of an AGP worker, who had been missing since yesterday, was recovered today. AGP leader Puspa Deka was arrested for allegedly manhandling an election official and preventing voters from casting their votes at a polling station at Dadara in Kamrup district today. However, Deka’s supporters said he was arrested on false charges because he was protesting against rigging by Congress workers at the polling station at Dadara. However, a dozen polling booths spread over various constituencies in Assam recorded zero voting with voters refusing to exercise their franchise in protest against non-redressal of grievances. Polling passed off peacefully in Tripura, too, but the weather played spoilsport. A heat wave worsened by high humidity marred the otherwise peaceful polling for the state’s two Lok Sabha seats today with additional chief electoral officer Dilip Acharjee putting the initial polling percentage at 80, pending final computation of data from the interiors of the state. In Assam, general secretary of AUDF Goalpara district unit and treasurer of the party’s Goalpara (East) Legislative Constituency Committee, Ganesh Hazarika, 40, was chopped to pieces by one Ramu Das at Dubapara under Matia police station of Goalpara district around 5pm today. Police arrested Das, a supporter of Arun Chandra Das, an Independent candidate backed by the AGP-BJP in Dhubri parliamentary constituency. According to an eyewitness, Hazarika was sitting near a polling station at Dubapara when Das attacked him with a sharp weapon. Hazarika died on the spot. Irate villagers later set Das’s house and his cycle repairing shop at Dubapara on fire. The situation at Dubapara is tense but under control. At around the same time, seven persons were injured when supporters of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students Union and the BPF clashed at Kalipukhuri under Kokrajhar police station over allegations of attempts at booth capturing. According to preliminary information, some members of the student organisation had caught hold of a BPF supporter accusing of having tried to instigate others to capture a polling booth in the area. As the news spread, a large number of BPF supporters descended on the spot and the clash ensued. The assistant secretary of the AGP’s Hariamukh anchalik committee under Raha Assembly constituency, Jadav Das, was abducted from near the party office. His body was recovered from Hariamukh this evening. The body did not bear any injury mark. Police suspect it to be a “political murder”. The AASU alleged that a large number of people had to return disappointed from the polling booths without casting their vote because of “widespread confusion” over the set of documents accepted by the Election Commission as valid identity proof of the voters in place of voter identity cards, which is yet to be issued to voters in Assam. A polling officer checks the name of a voter by candlelight at a polling station in Tiamari village near Guwahati on Thursday. (Reuters) AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said several people could not vote as poll officials in some polling booths insisted that only seven documents — passports, driving licence, PAN cards, bank passbooks, insurance documents, caste certificates and job cards issued under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act — could be used as authentic identification proof. Bhattacharyya said he was not initially allowed to vote at a polling station in South Sarania Lower Primary School as he does not possess any of these seven documents. “I had to argue with the polling officer for more than 30 minutes after which he allowed me to vote after confirming my identity from one of my telephone bills which I had with me.” At the South Sarania Lower Primary School, former director-general of Assam police Harekrishna Deka and his wife Anjali were denied their right to vote as their names could not be located on the voter’s list. Two polling officials, Samudra Rajkhowa, deputed at number 15 polling centre at Rajadhap under Sonari sub-division in Sivasagar district and Anil Bhattacharyya, deputed at number 126 polling station at Ulubari in Sonitpur district, were arrested after they were found in an inebriated state inside the polling booths.

Assam BJP MP denies Congress allegations

Nagaon (Assam), Apr 20 Sitting BJP MP of Nowgong Rajen Gohain today denied Congress&aposs allegations that he had written letter to party president Rajnath Singh suggesting poll understanding with Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF).

Gohain told reporters here that if he had"written any such letter, how come Rajnath Singh does not possess it but Assam Health Minister and Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma has allegedly got hold of it".

Congress has been making repeated allegations that AGP-BJP combine and AUDF, a party of the minority community, have entered into an understanding to divide the minority vote on which Congress largely depends.

"Moreover, if the letter was sent to Rajnath Singh, then how can Sarma claim that he has the original which he got tested in the forensic laboratory," Gohain said.

The BJP MP, however, agreed that the signature in the letter may be his as he had"signed blank letter heads and kept it in BJP office for emergency use".

"I believe this could have been manipulated by a former trusted aide of mine who later joined Congress,"he said.

Sarmah yesterday alleged that Gohain had written a letter to BJP President Rajnath Singh to garner support of the AUDF to defeat Congress.

Assam Lok Sabha Election, ADSSCP takes out rally in favour of Rani

MAJULI, April 3 : The All Deori Shwayatta Shasita Congress Parishad (ADSSCP) today took out an election rally in favour of Lalhimpur LS Congress candidate Rani Narah to help her win the elections. The rally was taken out from Rani’s residence where the ADSSCP members assembled and later took the rally through Dhakuakhana, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Naoboichia, Sadiya, Doomdooma and Chabua. This was stated in a press release.

AUDF promises help to AGP-BJP candidate

BARPETA, April 3 : With Congress being kept aside, AUDF candidate has declared his willingness to help AGP and BJP alliance candidate Bhupen Roy at no 6 Barpeta Loksabha constituency this time. Roy, while addressing a press meet said that there is a wrong idea among the minoity people that if the AGP-BJP come to rule, the minority people may be harassed, which is totally a fake rumour of the Congress to mis guide the minority.

Bhupen Roy again said that his foremost duty is to solve the burning problems of the Barpeta constituency such as unemployment, flood, erosion, and other burning problems of the area. Rehabilitation of the victims of communal clash in Kokrajhar and Udalguri district will be the important topic after his victory as an MP in this Lok Sabha polls.

In this press meet, BJP Kisan Marcha president Ranjit Das said that Congress’ influence is about to disappear because of their exploitation. Their false assurances made the people enraged and for that very reason this term congress will be defeated, he confirmed.

Assam Govt flayed for city blasts

GUWAHATI, Jan 3 – State BJP president Ramen Deka on Friday warned that the situation in the State would continue to be volatile until and unless terrorism masterminded from Bangladesh is exterminated. Condemning in strong words the serial blasts triggered in the capital city on the first day of the New Year, Deka said that it was indicative of more trouble ahead.

Deka regretted the failure of the government in taking the necessary steps to prevent the recurrence of an October 30-like situation, the day when a series of bomb blasts had rocked the capital city.

Demanding stringent measures to tackle the scourge of terrorism, the senior BJP leader said that the government should immediately plug the security loopholes.

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) today demonstrated against the security lapses and increasing terror acts and warned that it would take up more vigorous protest programmes in the coming days if there was no improvement in the security front.

The student body further said that the Tarun Gogoi Government had no moral right to continue in power as it had failed to protect the life and property of the common people.

The Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) while criticizing the Tarun Gogoi Government said the failure of the government to take up necessary security measures even after having prior information that terrorists might strike again, was reflective of the government’s indifference towards the common people.

The All Assam Markazi Jamiat Ulama has asked the government to identify the perpetrators of yesterday’s serial blasts and mete out exemplary punishment to them.