AGP conclave out of bound for Mahanta

Guwahati, Jul 11 (UNI) Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Brindabon Goswami has engineered a way to keep his predecessor and expelled party leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at bay from the next month's regional forces' conclave to be held under the aegis of the party.

The conclave proposed to gather opinions of noted citizens, associated with regionalism in the state since the days of Assam Agitation during 1979-85 to strengthen the AGP, which faced humiliation at the hands of the Congress in the last Assembly election in the state.

The conclave threw an opportunity for Mr Mahanta's friends within the AGP to invite to the former Chief Minister, who was expelled from the party last year and was now heading the newly formed Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive).

However, proposal from a section of party leaders to invite Mr Mahanta to the conclave was opposed by Mr Goswami, who finally hammered out a strategy to silence Mr Mahanta's sympathisers within the party.

The AGP sub-committee, in charge of making preparation for the conclave, decided that no leader of any regional political party would be invited to the conclave. This decision had shut the door not only for Mr Mahanta but also for many other regional politicians as far as conclave was concerned.

A source in the AGP informed that only those "well wishers", who had carved a niche for themselves in different fields barring politics, would be invited to the conclave to present their suggestions for strengthening the regional party.

In fact, the AGP was more interested in roping in bright leaders from the the younger generation to the party fold instead of carrying out routine discussion with politicians, considered spent force by the people, the source said.

UNI XC SJC KLC1731