Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, Aug 1- A worldwide campaign, at the behest of Amnesty International, will be launched on November 27 to protest against the November 27, 1997, verdict of the Supreme Court granting validity to the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Human rights activists the world over will wear black badges and present memoranda to the Supreme Court urging it to review its order. The call to this effect was given by human rights activists in a workshop on human rights under the aegis of Amnesty International held at Bhubaneswar in Orissa recently. The workshop, however, opposed a resolution put...

NEW DELHI, July 29: With elections round the corner, political parties of Assam, specially the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Congress are gearing up to woo the minorities. The scene of intense politicking to garner the support of the minorities has shifted from Assam to Delhi as both the state Congress and the AGP have rushed emissaries to talk with Muslim outfits. While APCC president, Tarun Gogoi, apparently not willing to take any risks, has posted himself at the capital, AGP has despatched the state irrigation minister and minority leader, Abdul Muhib Mazumdar, to seal a deal. The...

New Delhi, July 29: The Congress in Assam is in a dilemma over renominating self-styled lottery king Mani Kumar Subba for the second term from the Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency. Although the state Congress election committee does not foresee a problem in selecting the candidates for the forthcoming elections, in view of the decision to renominate all sitting MPs, the selection of the Tezpur candidate is expected to trigger a controversy. For the lottery king, problems may arise not from opposition within the state Congress but from the party's manifesto which proposes strict code of ethics in...

GUWAHATI, July 26: The United Minorities Front (UMF) (Osmani) will merge with the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) before the Lok Sabha polls, according to the APCC president, Tarun Gogoi. He told newspersons here that the party had already held discussions with the leadership of the UMF and final shape would be given in this regard very soon. Gogoi further said the Congress would contest all 14 seats in the state. In all, 40 persons had applied for party tickets.

GUWAHATI, July 20 - The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and the Bodo People's Action Committee (BPAC)-sponsored 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday failed to evoke any response except in the Bodo-dominated pockets of the northern bank of river Brahmaputra. According to police, there was no report of any untoward incident. Railway services were normal and all long-distance trains left Guwahati. The bandh was jointly called by ABSU and BPAC to protest the alleged human right violations against the Bodo people. (UNI ; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 21, 1999)

GUWAHATI, July 19: Chief election commissioner MS Gill has indirectly rebuffed the state government's demand for holding the elections in Assam in phases on account of floods. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said there were permanent revenue structures of the state government to take care of such natural calamities.

DIBRUGARH, July 18 - Confident of walking away with seven Parliamentary constituencies in the Barak and Brahmaputra valleys of the state, the Assam unit of the BJP has informed the party's central leadership that it would rather go it alone, or at best, make strategic electoral alliances with regional parties other than the AGP'. Disclosing this to this correspondent, the state's senior BJP leader, Nakul Baruah said he expects his party to field winning candidates in Nagaon, Kaliabor, Tezpur, Jorhat and Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituencies. He said the BJP would wrest both the Barak valley seats...

HAILAKANDI, July 17 - A fear psychosis has gripped the people of the three districts of Barak Valley due to the spurt in the activities of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the area. People fear that the ISI agents may strike in the valley in any time. The district administration of Karimganj has tightened vigil along the border with a view to stop the entry of ISI-supported infiltrators from Bangladesh. The district administration was alerted by intelligence agencies that ISI agents and supporters were active in the area. Infiltrators from Bangladesh have been changing the...

GUWAHATI, July 17: The newly-formed Asom Gana Sangram Parishad (AGSP) is not yet decided whether to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha election or not. The president-in-chief of the regional political party, Jatindra Kumar Borgohain informed that the party will not be able to take a final decision on the election till the meeting of the party's district representatives is not held. The meeting is likely to be held by August 20 next. The process of constitution of the district party committee will be over by August 15 next.

Guwahati, July 17: The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has drawn up an exhaustive plan for launching major offensives, including bomb blasts, during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Assam even as it conspires to sabotage troop movement from here to Kargil. Official sources said here on Saturday quoted the ULFA western unit women's wing leader Minati Sutradhar alias Nizara Medhi as stating that the militants were undergoing intensive training on detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and were instructed to remain prepared for any situation during the hustings...