AUDF dissension hots up, blames Congress

Guwahati, July 27 (UNI) Differences within the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) came to the fore today with one faction accusing president Badaruddin Ajmal of running the party autocratically and the latter attributing it to the ''dirty politics of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.'' The AUDF has ten members in the Asom Assembly and the party, launched just before the Assembly polls in the state, is headed by millionaire businessman Badaruddin Ajmal.

It was he,who led the party in the election, robbing the Congress of absolute majority forcing the latter to take the help of the Bodos to form a coalition government.

The rebel faction held a press conference, termed Mr Ajmal ''a businessman rather than politician'', while addressing a press conference here.

Meanwhile, general secretary Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Qasmi informed over telephone from Dhubri that his name was needlessly dragged in by the rebel faction. '' I am with Mr Ajmal and the rebel faction is working at the behest of the Congress, '' he said.

''He has to leave either business or politics, ''the rebel faction, led by Naziruddin Ahmed, said claiming that almost all the top members of the AUDF were with him.

''Founder members like Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury and Dr Kamalendu Bhattacharjee are also with us,'' he said.

He alleged that Mr Ajmal was more interested in expanding his business empire rather than the welfare of the minorities. ''He is engaging his company executives to run the party instead of the minority leaders,'' he alleged.

However, the Ajmal faction blamed the Congress for fuelling the dissension to win the Jamunamukh byelection. The Congress had been trying to weaken the AUDF for some time as the party had emerged as a major force in the state.

Meanwhile, talking to newsmen, Mr Ajmal alleged that it was the handiwork of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and said it would never be successful. ''He is trying but he cannot divide the minorities of Asom again.'' UNI MT SJC RL PM2109