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‘Girding up lions for poll battle’ Barak Valley
‘Girding up lions for poll battle’ Barak Valley
Jyoti Lal Chowdhury
2016 assembly elections are just two months away from now. It is time for political parties to gird up their lions for the battle ahead. Their frontline leaders have also been lined up to address workers’ meets and public rallies. In fact, the fast changing demographic structure of the state of Assam has brought about a new equation with the emergence of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) since 2006. This Front has been floated mainly to organize and unite the Muslims in protest against the long tested policy of Congress to use them as vote-bank. The opulent perfume trader with middle-east connection, Badruddin Ajmal is the supremo who by his sustained campaign in the minority dominated areas of the state has been able to split the traditional block votes of Congress.Quite significantly, AIUDF in the present Assembly is the second largest opposition party after the ruling Congress. From all reckoning, the contest at the hustings will be triangular involving Congress, BJP and AIUDF. In order to assess the mood of people and the ground reality, it was Badruddin Ajmal who sounded the poll bugle in November end of last year. He addressed series of workers’ meets and public rallies at Sonai, Hailakandi, Katlicherra, Algapur and Karimganj. The turnout, large and impressive, was enough to boost him up and his supporters.
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Ajmal like a wily politician will not like to put all his eggs in the same basket. Rather, he will prefer to wait and watch. With all confidence, he said, “I and Hagrama Mohilary, Chairman of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), will be the king makers”, indicating without them, no government can be formed at Dispur. Blowing hot and cold, he spoke of maintaining equidistance from Congress and BJP not withstanding media reports of his hobnobbing with both. He was hopeful his party would win 7 of the 15 assembly seats in this valley. With the lone MLA Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya from Katigorah facing suspension for 6 years for anti party activities, presently there is no representation in the Assembly from this valley. But, of gratification is that AIUDF wrested the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat from Congress in the Parliamentary election of 2014.
BJP, which once totally upset the apple cart of Congress, the most dominant political party of the valley since the first general elections of 1952, in the polls of 1991 by winning 9 assembly and both the MP seats, has emerged as a great challenge to Congress. In all fairness, this part of south Assam has seen a resurgent BJP. In order to regain the lost ground, BJP as a part of its strategy has laid more stress on meet with workers, the backbone of any organisation.
It was Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister of External Affairs, who heralded the campaign of the party at Silchar on December 27. More than capacity crowd of workers lustily cheered her when she gave call for “Congress free Assam”. Slamming Tarun Gogoi led government for misrule and doing nothing for the development of this most backward region, she listed one after another of his failures. None of the five national highways that crisscross the valley remains motorable. So are the pathetic conditions of network of roads maintained by the state public works department, she pointed out.
Picking up the thread of haranguing, Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Home, who came down to this valley on January 3 and addressed workers’ meet at Karimganj and a public rally at Ramkrishna Nagar, too targeted state government for neglecting and discriminating against the Bengali dominated region. He knew the demography of the zone and also the problems. It was quite natural that he would play the “refugee” and “development” cards as well as monitor the border fencing and its floodlighting. Knowing well the plight of Hindu Bengalis migrating from Bangladesh and taking shelter in the country, he assured of introduction of Bill in the Parliament to give legal teeth to its Notification of September 7, 2015. This would protect the “persecuted Hindus and other minorities”. He castigated Congress for blocking all the important Bills in the Parliament and asked if the party would support it at least on humanitarian ground. The economic backwardness needs Barak Vikash Yojana for all round development and the NDA would give it a top priority. He hit out at Gogoi government and wondered why the dream project of Atal Bihari Vajpayee should get stuck up on the ground of a wild life sanctuary in Borail Hills where exists no trace of any wild life, according to people living in its periphery.Both Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh found enough ground to expose the total apathy of the Gogoi government towards this valley where infamous “politician-bureaucrat-contractor” nexus is a well known design of the state machinery. Development funds from the Centre simply make vanishing tricks. The Centre is made a scapegoat for withholding funds. People today have become wiser than politicians to understand and call a spade a spade.
When Congress and its government at Dispur is at the centre of tirade of the opposition, Tarun Gogoi, a seasoned politician, thought it wise to fly from Dispur and strike back. He was more harsh and critical of BJP while addressing a public rally at India Club ground of Silchar. He questioned Narendra Modi’s lofty promise of “Achhe din” and asked “If people are getting “amrita’ through their water pipe lines”. But, he found himself on a slippery pitch with opposition making a mockery of his Rs.1000 crore development package for this valley that he announced during his poll campaign of 2011.
Kabindra Purkayastha, prominent BJP leader and former Union Minister, said, “Tarun Gogoi is a master craft to hoodwink people with false promises and lollipops. Faced with a barrel of questions over his deceptive promises, the Chief Minister stopped short of announcing anymore development package. However, at another meeting at Cachar Cha Sramik Union, Tarun Gogoi could not forget that election time is also the time for making more and more promises. He promised to set up a Tea Tribe Commission and also a separate Directorate for tea workers. Dr. Rajdeep Roy, state general secretary of BJP, wanted to know if the Plantation Labour Act of 1951 has been implemented in letter and spirit. “First let him ensure it and then talk of other welfare measures”, he said. Even the official function at Sainik Board and Training Centre was utilized for advancing his poll agenda.
In the run up to the elections as of now, the political scenario of the state remains not only hazy but also complex. The possibility of mahajot or grand alliance on the pattern of Bihar seems a remote possibility. It is true in politics nothing is impossible. The BJP and PDP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir has demonstrated it. Looking at the trends and moods building up slowly, the prospect of a coalition government cannot be ruled out. No party stands on a firm ground due to the ever shifting equations. But, to dismiss Congress though greatly decimated in the House of 126 members due to defections will be a miscalculation. Tarun Gogoi still commands the support of 68 members. BJP is perhaps banking on its win in the 7 of the 14 parliamentary constituencies of the state. Relevant to mention, AGP is almost a spent force in the valley. BPF has no sway or influence outside Bodoland.
From all accounts, the oratory and demagoguery by frontline leaders of the main political parties have heated up the poll firmament. In the coming days, more leaders will follow and it will provide the people of this landlocked region to witness speeches and diatribes. This will no doubt create the ambience for the committed, floating and conscientious voters to decide which side to support. The enveloping situation however does indicate the possibility of Congress, hit hard by the defection of its strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma and 10 of his followers to BJP. to align with anti BJP parties. BJP, on the other hand, seems inclined to go for adjustment with any party opposed to Congress. AIUDF will no doubt play a decisive role in the event of a hung Assembly and may become a king maker. The outcome of polls in the valley on the whole will impact the formation of government at Dispur. Who knows Tarun Gogoi might be the fourth time winner.
