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BJP eyes Assam and Arunachal |
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The BJP, which has been trying to make its presence felt in the troubled north-east since it ruled at the Centre under the premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is now eying Assam and Arunachal Pradesh as the party is reported to have reached political understanding with some regional outfits.
According to observers, enthusiastic campaigning by Asom Gana Parishad for BJP in Uttar Pradesh last week indicates that the party has gained the confidence of some regional outfits in the north-east, like the Asom Gana Parishad in Assam.
“If Asom Gana Parishad leaders enthusiastically campaigned for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh last week, there is more to it than just polls in that state. The BJP has set its eyes on the North-east,” said a keen north-east watcher.
“With the party’s “situational experiments” in Nagaland and Manipur having paid little dividends in terms of actual power in the past five years, the BJP has now decided to change tack,” he added.
“Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be our focus areas in the North-east and we promise you results from a string of leaders, young and old,” Kiren Rijiju, the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh, said.
A young leader, Rijiju’s selection as the party national secretary is the first-ever appointment from the region in a senior position.
The party has also changed guard at the regional level by transferring Northeast in-charge V. Satish to Delhi.
Rijiju hopes to infuse the party with a dose of enthusiasm. “We need to strengthen our foundation, spot leaders and develop alliances with like-minded parties,” Rijiju said.
The first step of getting closer to the AGP was made evident by inviting Lakhimpur MP Arun Kumar Sarma and leader of the Opposition in Assam Assembly, Brindaban Goswami, to rallies in Bareilly and Allahabad. Sources said Sarbananda Sonowal, the AGP’s Lok Sabha member from Dibrugarh, would attend a rally in Uttar Pradesh this week.
In Assam, the BJP is pondering an alliance with the AGP for the panchayat polls. It will, however, leave the decision to local leaders as part of a strategy to win the confidence of the workers. The party wants to encourage decision-making at the grassroots.
The BJP MP from Nagaon, Rajen Gohain, said: “The AGP did not do anything about illegal migrants when it was in power. It has to stop playing the minority card.”
In the second lap, an aggressive campaign against the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act - and the Congress by default - will be the priority. The BJP has time and again accused the Congress of playing vote bank politics by using Bangladeshi migrants.
The BJP plans to put most of its energy in Upper Assam and pockets of Lower Assam.
Arunachal Pradesh seems easier with two BJP MPs and nine legislators, who play an active role in state politics. “With Congress governments proving they are unstable, the BJP seems the only alternative,” said Rijiju.
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