BJP workers protest against tie-up continues

GUWAHATI, April 9: Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) struck a deal today to contest the ensuing Assembly polls in the State together, the grassroots level BJP workers here continued to oppose the alliance. For the third day since Saturday, BJP workers held demonstrations inside the premises of the party's state headquarters here. Unlike the previous two days, however, the protest today was peaceful. With almost all the senior leaders away in New Delhi, the middle rung party leaders were hard-pressed in explaining why the party had to tie-up with the AGP, which was a political foe till just a few weeks ago. The protestors, who had arrived in a bus-load from nearby Rangiya this afternoon were clearly unhappy with the prospect of having to work hand-in-hand with those who had been their political rivals. "Why were the workers not consulted before the decision to go in for the alliance was made", asked one of the workers. "How are we to explain this somersault to the people", asked another. The workers, numbering close to a hundred, held an impromptu meeting inside the party office severely criticising the alliance. Though quite vocal about their feelings, they were far more restrained from some of their fellow workers who had, yesterday and the day before, resorted to violence to express their feelings, destroying considerable property. "We have heard you and will pass on the message to the senior leaders", assured one of the party functionaries, trying to assuage frayed tempers. A leader of the protesting group said although they find the alliance as a whole difficult to digest, what they are particularly concerned about is the possibility of an AGP candidate being put up in the Rangiya constituency. "We won't accept that", he warned. Taking lessons from the previous two incidents, police bandobast around the BJP office was heavy today with personnel of the CRPF being deployed along with men from the state police. Luckily, they had nothing much to do today.