GUWAHATI: “Congress-led united opposition will not work out. There are differences of opinion among leaders of the alliance partners. We are not afraid of the union opposition,” Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and state agriculture minister Atul Bora said while addressing the open session of the foundation day of the regional party in Golaghat on Saturday.
AGP, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sounded its poll bugle from Golaghat district on Saturday ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
AGP, formed in Golaghat district on October 14, 1985, celebrated its 39th foundation day in Golaghat on Saturday.
“In the last few days, we have seen one party has started making public statements against the other. The opposition is a master of division politics. Time is witness to this. Just as broken bamboo never needs to be joined, the opposition parties in Assam will never come together,” Bora said.
“AGP has passed through 38 years of ups and downs and this is not just the 38 years of one party – this is the 38 years of the regionalist philosophy of Assamese politics. 38 years of hope and trust of the struggling people of Assam with nationalism flowing in their blood,” Bora said.
“AGP will always move forward with a continuous pace including the people of all ethnic groups, languages and religions. AGP is the lifeline of regionalism in Assam and the longer and stronger this lifeline is, the safer Assam will be,” Bora also said.
“Regionalism and development must move forward in parallel. But the mindset of the new generation has changed. They need solutions. There is no need to shout about problems, we need solutions to problems. So we are talking about solution-oriented regionalism. The issues must be addressed in the appropriate forum and the solutions and development must be active in parallel,” he said.
Bora said that the AGP, though being a regional political party has national aspirations and the people of Assam is their strength.
“AGP is a regional political party, but we have a national outlook. We are now focusing on Lok Sabha, Panchayat and Assembly polls. Our strength is the people of Assam. The people of Assam will not support these newly floated small political parties,” Bora further said.
Earlier in the day, a cultural rally was held in Golaghat in the presence of Atul Bora and other senior leaders of the AGP.
The leadership was welcomed by thousands of party workers and supporters at the Samanya Kshetra with singing and various ethnic cultural dances. The party flag was hoisted by its Atul Bora. The flags of 38 other parties were hoisted by senior party leaders.
The programme to pay homage to martyrs was inaugurated by the working president and minister Keshav Mohanta. \
The brother of Khargeshwar Talukdar, the first martyr of the Assam movement, the families of the Sapta Swahid and other martyrs’ families were felicitated at the open session.
The open ceremony was attended by former president and former minister Thaneswar Boro and Dwijen Phukan, one of the patrons of the Assam movement and one of the well-wishers of the AGP.
AGP’s working president and minister Keshab Mahanta, MLA Phani Bhushan Choudhury, MP Birendra Prasad Baishya, central leaders Dr Kamalakanta Kalita, Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Pradeep Hazarika, Bhupen Roy, Nurul Hussain, Manoj Saikia, Punakon Baruah, Satyabrata Kalita, Bhabendra Nath Bharali, Kumar Deepak Das, Prasanta Kumar Baruah, Jyotish Das, Zoii Nath Sarma, Sunil Deka, Sunil Rajkonwar, Dr Nripen Baruah, Dr Ranjit Baruah, Jayanta Khound and Tapan Das were also present in the open session.
