Mahanta proposed poll pact with BJP: Gohain

GUWAHATI, March 14: "It was the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the Chief Minister himself who proposed before the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee that the AGP and BJP should fight jointly the forthcoming Assembly polls in Assam," claims State BJP president Rajen Gohain. The State BJP president revealed this during a press conference here in presence of senior party leaders including Union Water Resources Minister, Bijoya Chakraborty, former Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha. Gohain said the AGP chief made the proposal before Vajpayee during their meeting at the Sankaradeva Awards giving function held at New Delhi recently. The State BJP chief said following the proposal made by Mahanta, the central leadership of the saffron party took up the matter with the State party unit which opposed it tooth and nail reasoning that the 'anti-incumbency' factor was growing stronger against the ruling AGP day by day. The State BJP president's disclosure contradicted yesterday's statement of Mahanta who said the AGP had never tried for an electoral alliance with the BJP. Meanwhile, the BJP whose image was at the stake following the damning defence deals exposed by the news portal Tehelka.com yesterday forcing resignation of the party president Bangaru Laxman, is going to fight election in the State on the plank of 'corruption' by the AGP-led Government. Senior BJP leaders Gohain and Chakraborty today tried to down play the sensational revelation made by Tehelka.com saying that it would have no impact on the poll prospects of the party in the State. They argued that the credibility of the news portal Tehelka.com was not above questioning. Chakraborty pointed out that the Prime Minister had already stated that the NDA Government was open to a thorough enquiry and debate in the Parliament over Tehelka tapes and stated that it would be too early to draw any conclusion from the revelation. Meanwhile, the State BJP was considering to forge poll alliance with certain small political groups including Trinamool Gana Parishad and Trinamool Congress. The State BJP chief said the final decision on poll alliance would be made public within a few days.