Hiranya Bhattacharyya quits party; Cracks surface in state BJP

GUWAHATI, April 11: Cracks surfaced in the State BJP leadership even as senior leader, Hiranya Bhattacharyya resigned from the party protesting the decision of the party to have poll alliance with the AGP. Bhattacharyya announced his decision to quit the party before BJP members of Nalbari district unit. He was supposed to be the BJP candidate from Nalbari LAC in the forthcoming polls. After getting the information about Bhattacharyya's decision to quit the party, State BJP president, Rajen Gohain rushed to meet him in Nalbari to try to persuade him to withdraw his resignation. However, Gohain found himself amid large number of angry party workers at Dharamsala in Nalbari. The party workers demanded the resignation of the State BJP president for his failure to prevent the alliance with the AGP. Talking to The Assam Tribune here this evening the helpless State BJP president said it would be hard to save the party in the State now with all the grassroots workers revolting in protest against poll-pact with the AGP. "I am trying my best to prevent exodus from the party but the workers are so angry that they are not in a mood to respond to my effort," he said. The State BJP president was in jitters over his horrible encounter with party workers in Nalbari. Although he was planning to visit party workers in Mangaldoi tomorrow, he decided to cancel the trip fearing another "bitter encounter" with workers there. "Today I was insulted in Nalbari, I do not want to experience the same tomorrow in Mangaldoi," he said. When asked about the state of the party unit in his home district of Nagaon, Gohain replied in a single word "horrible". BJP workers in Nagaon yesterday burnt effigies of Central leaders LK Advani, Sunil Shastri and State leaders Bijoya Chakraborty and V Satish in protest against the alliance with the AGP. Gohain today claimed that he had given enough hint to Central party leadership about that there would be violent revolt from party workers in the State if poll alliance was forged with the AGP. "What can I do alone, if some of our State leaders were desperate to have poll truck with the regional party. I am not going to say that the alliance was imposed on us by Central leadership alone."