Guwahati, Sep 3 (IANS) The Assam Congress on Thursday formally ended its political alliance with the Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal, accusing the regional party of repeatedly violating the norms and principles governing the opposition alliance.
The decision takes immediate effect and was taken on the direction of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi.
An organisational circular announcing the decision was issued by APCC General Secretary (Organisation) Ramanna Baruah.
The Congress said the alliance had been formed ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to bring together regional and Left parties, including the Raijor Dal, with the objective of presenting a united opposition against what it described as communal forces. However, the party alleged that Raijor Dal leaders repeatedly targeted the Congress during the alliance period through what it termed malicious propaganda and personal attacks.
The Congress party also accused the leadership of the regional party of making “baseless, unwarranted and derogatory” remarks against leaders of other parties within the opposition grouping.
According to Congress, repeated incidents weakened the basic understanding between the alliance partners and eventually made it untenable to continue political ties with the Raijor Dal.
The decision follows a sharp public exchange between the two parties in recent days. On Sunday, the APCC had criticised remarks made by Akhil Gogoi and accused him of disregarding alliance discipline.
At a joint press conference, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur and APCC Media and Communication Department chairman Bedabrat Bora questioned Gogoi’s conduct and warned him against allegedly acting as a “government agent”.
Bora also defended Gaurav Gogoi and former Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, saying Congress leaders had been actively involved in flood relief and rehabilitation work in the state.
He further claimed that Akhil Gogoi’s victory from Sivasagar was made possible by Congress support and argued that he would not have won the seat without the party’s backing.
Congress said it would continue raising public issues and hold the BJP-led government accountable over what it described as anti-people policies, injustice and misgovernance.
The political split comes after this year’s Assam Assembly elections. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly, while the Congress won 19 seats. The Bodoland Peoples Front and Asom Gana Parishad secured 10 seats each. The AIUDF and Raijor Dal won two seats apiece, while the All India Trinamool Congress secured one seat.
–IANS
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