Infighting in BJP over tie up with TGP

NEW DELHI, March 27: The move to form alliance with Atul Bora led Trinamool Gana Parishad (TGP) has triggered an infighting within the Assam State unit of the BJP. The issue has now been forwarded to Central Election Committee of the party which is meeting here on March 29. The uneasy truce that prevailed between the rival fractions belonging to State unit president, Rajen Gohain and Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Bijoya Chakraborty seems to be over following sharp differences between the camps over aligning with the TGP. Chakravorty told this newspaper that she is against forming any alliance with TGP as she felt the BJP has no business to bail out the regional party for the sake of helping two leaders. The Minister is actually opposed to the move to nominate Atul Bora from the Dispur LAC, where BJP is on a solid footing. "I think we should not have any alliance with the TGP for the sake of two leaders of the regional party," she said, adding that the regional party could help the BJP if it so wanted. Sources in Chakraborty's camp told this newspaper that the Minister had raised this issue in the Central Party meeting held early this month and it was decided that BJP would go alone in the State Assembly polls, barring a few seat adjustments at the local level. Reacting to the development, Chakraborty said the Central Party leadership had not approved any such proposal for alliance with the TGP, wondering how a section of the State leadership were holding negotiations with the regional party. The State unit president, when contacted here on the other hand, said he had taken everyone into confidence before opening dialogue with the TGP. "I had raised this issue in the Central Party forum meeting where representatives of the State were also present and nobody had opposed it then," he asserted. It may be recalled here Gohain was authorised by the Central leadership of the party to identify and negotiate with smaller parties in Assam. He was also empowered to form alliances provided it was cleared by the central leadership. Gohain, who was peeved at the recent demonstration by his own party-men belonging to the Dispur LAC, allegedly at the behest of Chakraborty, said "when two parties come to an electoral understanding, seats have to be shared." After all its a question of accommodating only few candidates, he argued. Gohain said though the TGP has asked for 20 seats from the BJP, it may come down to about four seats after negotiation. Fielding Atul Bora from Dispur LAC, sources in Gohain's camp said would also be a tactical move, as they need a giant killer in the constituency from where Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta plans to contest. "We don't have any leader of Mahanta stature to challenge him in Dispur LAC, so why not Atul Bora," a senior BJP leader asked.