Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, August 16: Differences still persist among the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leadership over selection of party candidates for at least two Lok Sabha seats out of the eight the party will contest in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, sources in the party maintain that differences will be sorted out and the party will to finalise the candidates on or before August 20. Three senior party leaders are keen to contest from the Guwahati constituency which was bagged by Congress in the 1998 elections. Former Lok Sabha member from Barpeta, Ataur Rahman, one of the party vice-presidents...

GUWAHATI, August 17: The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) today alleged that Indian intelligence agencies like the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were involved in the recent attacks on the family members of NDFB activists. In a statement, B Erakda, secretary, information and publicity of the NDFB, said Indian intelligence agencies were worried over the recent agreement between the NDFB and the BLTF. He said the NDFB and the BLTF had decided not to fight each other and work jointly. Because of this, the Indian agencies were trying to create differences between the Bodo groups...

SIBSAGAR, August 14: Veteran nonagenarian freedom fighter Uma Rajkonwar has called for a solution to the insurgency issue in the state through amicable negotiations. Both the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) boys and the government should come forward to resolve the issue through negotiations, although the responsibility to create a congenial atmosphere for such negotiations lies mainly with the government, Rajkonwar, now 99, told this correspondent at his Lakwa residence on August 10 last. The observation is significant since the youngest of his three sons , Rajib Rajkonwar, is the ULFA...

GUWAHATI, August 10: The activities of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Assam is an issue concerning the security of the nation and no political party or organisation should try to give a communal colour to it, according to the advisor of the All-Assam Students' Union (AASU), Samujjal Bhattacharyya. Bhattacharyya pointed out that certain political parties and organisations of the state were trying to give a communal colour to the issue of arrest of four ISI men in the city. He said that AASU would thwart any move to create communal tension in Assam on the issue. Bhattacharyya...

GUWAHATI, August 8: The United Minorities' Front (UMF) led by HRA Choudhury has condemned the statements made by the general officer commanding of 4 Corps, Lt Gen BS Shekhatkar, suggesting that mosques and madrassas in the state are becoming shelters for agents of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In an executive meeting today, the UMF passed a resolution condemning the statements and said that it was a well-calculated move by the Army as well as the state government to harass religious minorities, particularly religious leaders, intellectuals, social workers and known political workers...

GUWAHATI, August 7: The ruling four-party alliance in Assam today announced that it would contest 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, announced this at a press conference after a meeting of the four partners -AGP, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and United People's Party of Assam (UPPA). Mahanta said UPPA would contest the Silchar seat, CPI would contest from Dhubri while CPM would field candidates in Barpeta and Karimganj constituencies. The AGP will contest the...

GUWAHATI, August 7: The Phralung Buddhist Tribal Youths' Organisation has chalked out a 10-point programme for the uplift of the Phralung Buddhist community of Assam. The organisation was set up on December 2, 1998 on the occasion of the 770th foundation anniversary of Assam with its headquarters at the Patsako Central Thai Academy in Sibsagar district. The programme of the organisation includes establishment of Buddhist monasteries, temples, prayer halls, libraries and Pali and Thai educational institutions and construction of buildings for the purpose of housing the socio-cultural and...

GUWAHATI, August 4: With the Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, all the political parties as well as the people of the state are watching with keen interest as to what will be the stand taken by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) vis-?-vis the election this time. The interest stemmed from the fact that during the Lok Sabha elections last year, the outfit had called for a poll boycott. In the wake of ignominious defeat in the elections, the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had tried to blame it on an alleged ULFA-Congress nexus. The AGP alleged that the Congress engineered the ULFA...

GUWAHATI, August 2: Sumita Ghose, wife of social worker Sanjoy Ghose, today claimed that a recent workshop on human rights held in Bhubaneswar had passed a resolution condemning the United Liberation Front of Asom's action in abducting Sanjoy Ghose and demanding accountability from them as to his fate and whereabouts. In a faxed statement, Ghose said the workshop, however, passed the resolution against the ULFA with reservations from organisations like Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS), North East Coordination Committee on Human Rights (NECCOHR) and Human Rights Alert. These organisations...

DELHI, August 1: The Manipur government has moved the Supreme Court detailing the differences between Bishnupriyas and Manipuris over the recognition of Bishnupriyas as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by the states of Assam and Tripura. The Manipur government has challenged the decision of the Guwahati High Court to include Bishnupriya Manipuris in the State list of OBCs saying the court has given the direction without going into the question whether such a community existed at all. The petitioner said the decision of the states of Assam and Tripura allowing prefixing or suffixing of the word...