70 organisations withdraw support to Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal

‘Autocratic attitude’ and ‘political immaturity’ were cited as reasons for severing ties

Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi. File

Some 70 organisations have withdrawn their support to activist-turned-politician Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal ahead of the

Assembly byelection announced on September 28.

Bypoll to five Assembly seats in Assam would be held on October 30 along with three constituencies in Meghalaya and one each in Mizoram and Nagaland. The bypolls in three Assam seats — Bhabanipur, Mariani and Thowrah – became necessary after the MLAs quit to join the Bharatiya Janata Party while the representatives of the remaining seats in the region died.

The 70 organisations, many of them community-based, had since 2018 been associated with the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a peasants’ body that Mr. Gogoi had founded. These organisations also backed the Raijor Dal formed mainly by the members of the KMSS in October 2020.

“We have decided to withdraw support to Raijor Dal because of the autocratic attitude and political immaturity of its top leadership that runs the party as a private company. There is a lack of democracy within and the party inducted many who have engaged in anti-Assam activities,” leaders of the 70 organisations told journalists on September 27.

They also accused Raijor Dal of catering to the interest of a “specific section” of people while referring to the induction of “controversial” leaders from the All Assam Minority Students’ Union.

Raijor Dal’s working president Bhasco de Saikia said the withdrawal of support by the 70 organisations was a blessing in disguise.

“None of these organisations were active in politics and party activities for a long time. A few of their members were involved in anti-party activities as well and would have been suspended soon,” he said.

All the Raijor Dal candidates had contested the 2021 Assembly poll as independents due to the party’s failure in registering with the Election Commission in time. Mr. Gogoi was the party’s only victor, defeating his nearest BJP rival to win the Sibsagar seat in eastern Assam.