Assam | Formation of new political party by AASU-AJYCP historic blunder: KMSS

GUWAHATI | SEPT 16, 2020:

The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), which has announced its foray into politics, said on Tuesday that the forming of a separate party by the AASU and the AJYCP is a "historic blunder" in uniting the anti-CAA sentiments.

The KMSS gave the two organisations time till September 20 to join hands with it or, the farmers' body said, it will go ahead and form a separate political entity to contest the Assam assembly polls likely to be held in March- April next year.

The All Assam Student Union (AASU) and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) formed a new political party, Assam Jatiya Parishad, on Monday.

"It is a historic blunder to launch a party alone without aligning with like-minded anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act forces. Seeing us launching separate parties, the BJP and RSS are smiling now," KMSS president Bhasco De Saikia told a press conference here.

The KMSS, he said, had suggested one party, one flag and one symbol and the organisation is still committed to it.

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Division of votes among different anti-BJP forces "will defeat the very fight against the CAA", Saikia said.

"We will wait till September 20 expecting a favourable response from the AASU and the AJYCP. If we do not get any response, then we will form a new party after consulting all regional, social, tribal anti-CAA groups, artiste and student communities," he said.

The KMSS, AASU and the AJYCP were at the forefront of the protracted protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act that rocked Assam in 2019.

Saikia said the statement by the AASU and the AJYCP leaders about their difference with the KMSS on ideological and work front were made to create confusion in the formation of the regional party comprising all the three organisations.

"It was just an excuse. If we could have united under one flag and one symbol in one party with one constitution having one programme, then this question of difference would not have arisen at all," he said.

If all the anti-CAA and regional forces unite, the BJP-led ruling front and Congress-AIUDF's alliance will be "decimated", he added.

"If the BJP-led communal forces win again in 2021 with Hindu-Muslim politics, then they will be ruling us for the next 30 years. This is the time we defeat them," the KMSS President said.

The KMSS had on August 22 announced that it will launch a political party to fight the Assembly elections in 2021 and its jailed leader Akhil Gogoi will be its chief ministerial candidate.

Election to the 126-member Assam Assembly is due in March-April of 2021. The 2016 elections gave a fractured mandate and no party has an absolute majority in the current House.

The BJP is the single largest party with 60 MLAs, while its allies the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland Peoples Front have 14 and 12 lawmakers respectively. The ruling coalition also has the support of an Independent.

The opposition Congress has 23 MLAs, while the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has 14 members in the Assam Assembly.

PTI