AAP to go alone in Assam

The self styled Commander­in­Chief of ULFA (Independent), Paresh Barua hails the AAP victory as "the mandate for establishment of true democracy"

Aam Aadmi cadres during a campaign in Guwahati. File photo

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) will go alone in Assam in 2016 assembly polls and will be focussing on building up the party’s organisation in the state over the next six months, said senior AAP leader in Assam Manorom Gogoi here on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference Mr. Gogoi said that AAP has started developing an Assam­specific model for building the organisation and for providing scientific and realistic solutions to the burning problems of Assam such as problems of floodS, illegal immigration, unemployment and insurgency. He said that an expert panel had already been formed for this purpose and more experts would be included in the panel.

Mr. Gogoi described massive victory of AAP in Delhi as “historic win” and exuded confidence that his party would be able to repeat it in 2016 assembly polls in Assam. “The mandate in Delhi assembly polls showed that people rejected both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party and voted for an alternative politics of honesty, transparency-politics which is free from corruption and religious fundamentalism. The AAP will provide this viable alternative politics in Assam and will emerge as the alternative force in the state,” he added.

Mr. Gogoi, however, admitted that the AAP’s organisational base in Assam is still very weak. In response to a question he said that central AAP leaders including Mr Arvind Kejriwal would be coming to Assam to help strengthening the party organisation in the state.

Hope for resolution of armed conflict has brightened: Paresh Baruah

Meanwhile the self styled Commander­in­Chief of the insurgent United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) Paresh Barua described the mandate of the people of Delhi for AAP as “the mandate for establishment of true democracy” and said that the mandate has brightened up the hope for resolution of the long drawn armed conflicts in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

“The AAP’s victory in Delhi assembly polls showed that the people of Delhi voted for establishment of true democracy in India. If true is democracy is established in India then we can hope for resolutions of the India­Assam, India­Manipur and India­Nagaland armed conflicts because true democracy provides the scope for dialogue to end conflicts,” the ULFA (Independent) ‘Commander­in­Chief’ told The Hindu over phone from an undisclosed location.

When asked if his organisation would shun the path of armed conflict and follow the example of overwhelming majority of the people in Assam, Delhi and other states in the country of seeking solutions to their problems through democratic exercise of their voting rights, Barua ruled out the ULFA (Independent) ending the armed conflict “till the rights over land and natural resources of Assam are restored to the people of Assam.”