ASSU opposes Mahanta's re-entry into AGP

Guwahati, May 9 (UNI) The All Assam Students Union (AASU) has decided to oppose the re-entry of former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta into Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

''We shall oppose Mr Mahanta's entry into the AGP,'' AASU president Shankar Prasad Ray today said.

He was the mastermind behind the ''secret killing'' and despite remaining Chief Minister on two terms, he did not implement the Assam Accord, alleged Mr Ray.

But unlike its other popular steps, this time AASU's stand had not gone well with its supporters, which wanted it to maintain its apolitical stand. The AASU's parallel organisation, the All Assam Yuva Chatra Parishad(AJYCP), has, however, had no problem with Mahanta's re-entry.

''At this moment, individual is not the point but the regional forces should unite to stop Congress from coming to power. Mr Mahanta is just one part of the whole process,'' said AJYCP's general secretary Manoj Barua.

Mr Mahanta, himself was lying low as four splinter groups of the AGP and the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) have joined hands to have one platform. It includes his own party AGP(P) and he is expected to formally join by next month.

However, to ease the AASU and AGP stand off, the AGP has constituted a three member committee comprising former AASU leaders.

They are Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta and Padma Hazarika. The first two were senior office-bearers before joining in the Congress.

''They will try to settle the matter with the AASU, which is a national organisation'' said AGP's working President Phani Bhusan Chouhdury.

The other political parties got the chance to twist the situation in their favour as the AASU's apolitical stand did not hold water this time. ''Without AASU, the AGP cannot do anything.

The AASU is the breeding stock of the AGP,'' said State health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Even the Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, while visiting Assam, had welcomed the AASU's stand of regional force's unity. This has not gone down well within the AASU which was now looking for an opportunity to wriggle out of the mess while the AGP was preparing to get everybody of the regional camp on board by the end of June to give Congress a tough time.

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