BJP backs Sonowal for LS

From Our Staff Correspondent DIBRUGARH, JULY 13 – Dispelling speculations as to which party would field candidate for the Lok Sabha polls from Dibrugarh in case alliance was forged with Opposition parties, local BJP MLA Prasanta Phukan on Saturday said that his party would back AGP’s sitting MP, Sarbananda Sonowal.

AGP may move SC over Govt inaction

NEW DELHI, July 12 – Accusing the Congress-led Central and Assam Governments of disregarding the Supreme Court's verdict on detection and deportation of illegal migrants, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today said that they are looking at the option of moving the Apex Court, alleging non-implementation of its orders. Addressing a press conference here today, to mark the completion of three years of the historic order of repealing the controversial IM (DT) Act, AGP MPs Biren Baishya, Sarbananda Sonowal and Kumar Deepak Das today slammed the Congress Government both at the Centre and the State for indulging in vote bank politics.The Government is yet to start the process of identification of the foreigners and the tribunals are yet to function. The updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) is not yet ready. The Home Ministry has failed to keep its own deadline of sealing the Indo-Bangladesh border by December 2006, said Sonowal, who was the main petitioner, on whose plea the Act was scrapped.He said he was going to consult senior legal counsel, Ashok Desai on moving the Supreme Court yet again pleading that the Government, despite lapse of three years, has not carried out its orders.The AGP leaders conceded that not much impact has been made by the repeal of the IM (DT) Act because of the Congress Party's attitude. The State Government has not taken any steps to implement the orders in toto, he alleged. Added Deepak Das, the Congress Party has disregarded the Accord signed during Rajiv Gandhi's regime. Unabated influx is still on and along with migrants, fundamentalist elements are also infiltrating. Assam today has as many as 14 fundamentalist outfits, he added.Though the foreigners' issue has always assumed centre stage in every election, Biren Baishya said raking the issue would not have any impact on its relations with the AUDF. The BJP has already made its intensions clear by declaring that the Bangladeshi immigration problem was going to be one of their major election planks."All political parties have agreed that March 25, 1971 is the cut-off date and any foreigners who has entered the State after that have to go. There should be no dispute over the Assam Accord," Baishya said, mindful that his Party is also talking to AUDF.Asked about the AGP's strategy for the forthcoming polls, he said it would be endeavour of his Party to ensure that all the anti-Congress votes are intact.The AGP, meanwhile, has declared that they are vote against the UPA Government and the nuclear agreement in the Lok Sabha during the Confidence Motion. source: assam tribune

Will AGP-BJP alliance materialize?

By our Staff ReporterGUWAHATI, July 4: Of late, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is hobnobbing with both the BJP and the AUDF-CPI-CPM combine. The main regional party of the State cannot hobnob with both BJP and AUDF at the same because the two parties are next to untouchable to each other. At a recent meeting at the Assam Legislative Assembly with Opposition leader Chandra Mohan Patowary and AGP working president Phani Bhushan Choudhury, the AUDF president made it clear in no uncertain terms that if the AGP wanted an electoral understanding with the BJP, the AUDF could not be an ally of the AGP.Even today, the AGP has been maintaining that it has reached no electoral understanding with the BJP as yet, and this statement is indication enough from the regional party to other parties of the State that it has kept all options open for electoral understanding.The anti-Brindabon lobby in the party is more interested to forge an alliance with the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. These AGP leaders, at the same time, want to maintain a cordial understanding with the AUDF-CPI-CPM combine with the one-point agenda that all the opposition parties — AGP, BJP, AUDF and the Left — have the common anti-Congress stand.AGP president Brindabon Goswami, on the other hand, is yet to come out of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA). Meanwhile, when asked on the possible AGP-BJP poll understanding, AGPLP leader Chnadra Mohan Patowary, who is camping in New Delhi, said: “We have had talks with BJP president Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj earlier. But this Delhi tour is purely personal. We have kept all options open to defeat the Congress.”The Congress is apprehensive of the fact that if the AGP-BJP understanding becomes a reality in Asom, the combine will get maximum advantage. According to sources, the AGP is waiting for the reports to be submitted by its 11 party committees that were formed in as many parliamentary constituencies to look into the matter of poll alliance with other parties.Both AGP and BJP sources maintain that unofficial talks for poll alliance are going on between them
AGP, BJP meetFrom a CorrespondentNEW DELHI, July 4: Six AGP leaders today met BJP leader Sushma Swaraj at her residence in New Delhi today on electoral understanding between the two parties in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. This development came close on the heels of another UNPA member party SP extending its support to the UPA Government at the Centre on the Indo-US nuclear deal.After the meeting, MP Arun Kumar Sarma said: “The six-member election committee of the AGP had its first meet with the BJP for electoral alliance. We need to hold more such meetings to sort out the issues.” The AGP team comprised Arun Sarma, Kumar Dipak Das, Sarbananda Sonowal, Padma Hazarika, Birendra Prasad Baishya and Chandra Mohan Patowary.Sushma Swaraj, on the other hand, said the BJP is going to forge alliances with other parties in all the north-eastern States to defeat the Congress. source: sentinel assam