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Rajya Sabha nominations : Assam anger over non-inclusion of Bhupen Hazarika |
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Almost all political parties in Assam are up in arms over the non-inclusion of Bhupen Hazarika, the well-known artiste of Assam, in the list of President’s nominees for the Rajya Sabha, the upper House of Indian Parliament.
According to reports, Hazarika’s name figured in the first list of the candidates, but the versatile culture icon did not make the cut. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi led the state in crying foul over his omission from the final list of nominees.
Accusing the BJP of toeing the Congress line in neglecting Assam and the region, the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Brindaban Goswami said, “It was not only an insult to the great artiste but to all sections of people from the North East. Bhupen Hazarika today is not merely an artiste, he has become an institution,” he added.
In the fax message to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the AGP chief said, “By dropping the name of Bhupen Hazarika at the eleventh hour, it reveals that this region is still neglected.”
The AGP has decided to field Bhupen Hazarika as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha as a “mark of protest” if the NDA government at the Centre does not review the list of the President’s nominees for the Rajya Sabha. Announcing the decision at a press conference, Goswami said the party would formally request Hazarika to accept the offer. He said a meeting of the party’s executive body decided to field Hazarika when its lone representative in the Upper House, Arun Sharma, retires in April next year.
Asked if the party would seek the support of the ruling Congress to make Hazarika a unanimous choice, Goswami said given the party positions in the Assembly, the AGP does not require the support of the ruling party to make their candidate victorious. The combined strength of the four parties is 41 in the 126-member Assembly.
Congress dismay
Not to be left behind, the Congress government also expressed its dismay over the developments and has moved the Centre to get the nomination reviewed. In a missive to Prime Minister Vajpayee, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi stated, “Dr. Hazarika is not only an eminent artiste known, admired and respected in the state but is also one of those rare few who are respected all over the nation.
He has dynamically steered Sangeet Natak Akademi in the past couple of years. Nomination of such a personality to the Rajya Sabha would have undoubtedly enhanced the prestige of the Upper House and brought a sense of pride and belonging to the people of Assam.”
The protest found an echo in New Delhi with members of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) and a section of the North East Media Forum raising slogans at Jantar Mantar for two hours.
The BJP office in Guwahati witnessed aggressive demonstrations staged by All Assam Students Union (AASU) in protest against the Vajpayee Government’s decision to ignore the nomination of Bhupen Hazarika to the Rajya Sabha.
Finding itself at the receiving end of public ire, the Assam unit of the BJP undertook a damage-control exercise, even coming up with a list of stalwarts from the state on whom the National Democratic Alliance government had bestowed “love and respect”.
Denying that the Centre had been ignoring the achievements of people from Assam, the BJP said a bust of legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan had been installed at the National Defence Academy and an award in his name instituted for the best cadet in every batch. It said the Bharat Ratna to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, the state’s first chief minister, and the Padma Bhushan to Hazarika were two other examples of Delhi’s regard for such high achievers.
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