AGP all set for tie-up with BJP

GUWAHATI, April 2: The general council of the ruling Asom Gana Pari-shad (AGP) today gave the go-ahead for the party leadership to go for electoral alliance with 'like-minded' political parties including the BJP and other constituents of National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Following a day-long sitting at Rabindra Bhawan here, the General Council of the party in a resolution while approving the last night resolution of the party's executive body, allowed the party to forge electoral alliance with the BJP and other NDA constituents "in order to root out Congress" in the forthcoming electoral battle. The General Council in its resolution observed that although the party was confident enough to form the next Government in the State on its own, electoral alliance with like-minded parties including BJP was required to demolish Congress in the State. The General Council entrusted the party president and Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, with the responsibility to take final decision on electoral alliance with like-minded political parties in order to keep Congress at bay. Armed with the nod from the party General Council, the president, Mahanta along with a couple of senior colleagues in the party will leave for New Delhi tomorrow to finalise the modalities of electoral alliance and seat sharing with the NDA constituents mainly the BJP. Later addressing a press conference, the AGP president, Mahanta said that although the party was confident of regaining power in the State, it would go for alliance with "NDA constituents and other like-minded political parties to wipe out Congress in the State." However, Mahanta shied away from taking the name of the BJP and insisted on that alliance will be with the NDA. He specifically said, "we have received a proposal for electoral alliance from the NDA and we are still considering it." He also said the AGP was for hammering out a common minimum programme with alliance partners in case electoral understanding materialised with the NDA constituents. When asked what will be the AGP's stand vis-?-vis its allies CPI & CPM in case it goes for electoral alliance with the BJP, Mahanta said the four-party alliance was still on. It may be mentioned that during discussion in General Council, a few AGP leaders from different district units mentioned about their 'bitter experience' with CPI and CPM during last five years and called upon the leadership to weigh pros and cons carefully before striking alliance with BJP and other like-minded parties. Meanwhile, the AGP has decided to go to the voters seeking re-election on the basis of the party's "success in bringing back peace and containing militancy, taking up development work despite the severe financial crisis faced by the state government during the last five years."