AGP-AASU meet for unification

Guwahati, Aug 16 (UNI) The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today met the All Assam Students Union (AASU), seeking sanction from the latter for the unification of all the regional forces.

The AASU team was led by its advisor Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharrya while the AGP team was led by its working president Phani Bhusan Choudhury.

The AASU, despite being a students organisation, has influence on the regional politics of Assam and the AGP and AASU together aspire to unseat the Congress government.

The AASU was opposed to the re-entry of former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to the AGP fold, holding him responsible for the ''secret killings in Assam'' as well as non-implementation of the Assam Accord during the two previous regimes of the AGP when Mr Mahanta was the Chief Minister.

The AGP is now trying to rope in the splinter groups like the AGP(P) led by Mr Mahanta, the Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad (PLP) and the Trinamool Gana Parishad (TGP). All the outfits had several rounds of meetings and the unification is well under course.

''But we shall oppose re-entry of Mr Mahanta at any cost. He was the kingpin of the secret killings. It was he who did not implement the Assam Accord. We want all other regional parties to come together to defeat the corrupt Congress government but that has to be done without Mr Mahanta,'' Dr Bhattacharrya asserted.

The AGP is divided over the issue but the majority in the party want Mr Mahanta to be back to provide a boost to the party which has been in the political wilderness for the past five years.

''We shall report the outcome of the meeting to the central committee of our party and it will take a final decision about the unification,'' AGP working president Phani Bhusan Choudhury said.

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