Phukon to fight on AGP ticket despite illness

Guwahati, Mar 16 (UNI) The regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has decided to give party nomination to its senior leader Bhrigu Kumar Phukon despite the latter's illness to keep the morale of the party workers high during the polls.

The former home minister and a prominent leader of students movement against foreigners during 1979-85, Mr Phukon is the party candidate for prestigious Jalukbari constituency in the forthcoming assembly polls, although he is undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

Despite remaining off the public glare since his defeat in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, which he contested in AGP ticket from Guwahati constituency against Dr Bhupen Hazarika (BJP) and Kirip Chaliha (Cong), Mr Phukon remained a taller leader than the incumbent party chief Brindabon Goswami in the eyes of a section of party workers.

Many AGP workers feel Mr Phukon was never given the due importance especially when former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was in the helm of affairs in the party, in tune with his real stature in Assam politics.

In the Post-Assam agitation period, Mr Phukon's relation with the former AGP leader Mr Mahanta, who is no longer in the party now, deteriorated from bad to worse. Because of his clash of ego and ideology with Mr Mahanta, the former home minister split the AGP before 1991 Assembly polls to form Natun Asom Gana Parishad (NAGP) and incumbent AGP chief Mr Goswami was an important leader of the NAGP.

Congress cashed on the AGP split and won 1991 Assembly polls in the state. In 1994, both the AGP and NAGP decided to patch up and the latter merged with the AGP again. However, Mr Phukon's relation with Mr Mahanta became worse when Mr Mahanta did not accommodate him in the AGP ministry after 1996 Assembly polls. A frustrated and sidelined Mr Phukon left the party and joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at the fag end of 1990s. He contested 2001 Assembly polls in NCP ticket but lost from Jalukbari constituency for the first time since 1985.

He came back to the AGP fold after Mr Goswami took charge of the party replacing Mr Mahanta following the debacle the party suffered at the hands of Congress in 2001 Assembly polls.

The AGP expects Mr Phukon to give a tough contest to Congress candidate Himanta Bishwa Sharma, the sitting MLA and an influential minister in Tarun Gogoi government, at Jalukbari constituency in the forthcoming polls.

Mr Phukon would win the election despite his illness, the AGP chief Mr Goswami said while announcing his candidature here a few days ago.

UNI XC BA PK DS1203