AGP never tried for poll pact with BJP: CM

GUWAHATI, March 13: Putting all speculations to rest, the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) President, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, today said the regional party never tried for poll alliance with the BJP. Dismissing all reports in the media as baseless, Mahanta claimed that the AGP did not contact the BJP Central leadership with a proposal to forge an electoral alliance to fight the next Assembly polls in the State. He said the four-party alliance comprising the AGP, CPI, CPM and UPPA was still in the right place. He further informed that the AGP was also in touch with certain small political parties including tribal groups in order to formulate a 'comprehensive' poll strategy. "The AGP is going to form a comfortable Government in the State after the election as the party is enjoying the support of majority people in the State", Mahanta said and informed that peace, development and progress would be the poll plank of the regional party in the forthcoming polls. The AGP is also going to highlight the continuous negligence of the interests of the State by the Union government during the electioneering and pledged to continue the efforts of the present Government to make the Centre wake up to the problems of the State. He said the AGP would never allow slackness on its part to stymie the on-going effort to bring back peace which is the pre-condition to development, in the violence-hit State. "Because of our efforts, the situation has stabilised in the State and the process of development could be put on the track at ", Mahanta claimed. When drawn to the merger of its ally UPPA with Samajwadi Party, Mahanta said the UPPA was yet to bring the matter to the notice of the AGP and claimed that the party continued to remain a constituent of the four party ruling alliance. "The AGP is for a free and fair election in the State", Mahanta said while ridiculing the apprehension aired by the Opposition Congress about "AGP's plan to rig polls with the help of SULFA members' as far fetched". He alleged that it was the Congress which had a track record of utilising muscle power of the SULFA during the last Assembly polls in the State. The AGP chief today stated that the party would treat Congress as the main opponent in the forthcoming Assembly election in the State.