Assam: Firebrand Akhil Gogoi to contest polls in 2021; work to start from March

GUWAHATI, January 15, 2018: Firebrand peasant leader Akhil Gogoi will contest the next Assembly polls in Assam, the groundwork for which will start soon with the possible renaming of his political party or even the birth of a new one.

Gogoi, who is the adviser to the farmers' body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), said while he was not averse to having an alliance with like-minded forces to fight "fascist BJP", he would prefer to create a third alternative excluding the Congress.

"We are going into electoral politics. We have had debates, within the KMSS and nationally, whether fascism could be resisted only by movements. We reached the understanding that without parliamentary politics, BJP's communal fascism cannot be resisted," Gogoi told newsmen in an exclusive interview.

He had discussed the electoral move in the executive committee meeting of the KMSS on December 28, the day after he was released from jail, where he had been lodged for three- and-a-half months on charges framed under the sedition and National Security Act.

"We already have a political party, the Ganamukti Sangram, which was set up in 2015. Now we will make it broad- based to include all sections of society. We may form a new entity also. The formal work on the political front will begin from the end of March this year," Gogoi said.

Gogoi said in reply to a question that the outfit would not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"We will not fight in 2019 although we will oppose the BJP. We will take time for a proper political understanding and creating a strong network. We will contest the Assembly polls in 2021," he said.

The RTI activist told newsmen that he would travel to almost all parts of Assam to know about people's grievances before forming ground-level committees. He expected to have at least five members in the political party from each village.

(Agencies)

Featured image(courtesy): File photo from PTI