Politics / Assam

DHAKA, March 13: Top ULFA leader Anup Chetia, who is serving jail terms here, is to renew his prayer for asylum, press reports said today, reports PTI. Chetia, who is sentenced to several years' jail term for illegal entry into Bangladesh and possessing foreign currency and other valuables, asked his lawyers to make a fresh appeal for political asylum, the Daily Star reported quoting his lawyer Alina Khan in the court where Chetia was produced for hearing in connection with possessing satellite telephone. The judge adjourned the trial till March 29 due to the absence of the witness and the...

GUWAHATI, March 13: The Union Minister of State for Water Resources and State BJP leader, Bijoya Chakraborty today hinted that the party may forge an alliance with ABSU and ASDC (HoliRAM faction) in the ensuing Assembly election. Addressing a press conference at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport immediately after her arrival from New Delhi, Chakraborty said that party had already initiated parleys with the leadership of both ABSU and ASDC (Holi-faction) and a 'clear picture' would emerge soon. She, however ruled out possibility of any alliance with the Trinamool Gana...

GUWAHATI, March 13: Putting all speculations to rest, the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) President, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, today said the regional party never tried for poll alliance with the BJP. Dismissing all reports in the media as baseless, Mahanta claimed that the AGP did not contact the BJP Central leadership with a proposal to forge an electoral alliance to fight the next Assembly polls in the State. He said the four-party alliance comprising the AGP, CPI, CPM and UPPA was still in the right place. He further informed that the AGP was also in touch with certain small political...

NEW DELHI, March 12: The Assam government citing the need for massive deployment of additional para-military forces in the State owing to threats from the outlawed ULFA and the Bodo militant groups has called for a three-phase election in the State. Assam was however, the only State to suggest a phase-wise poll, as all other States going to polls asked for a one-day poll. "Barring Assam all the other four States wanted one-day election." Disclosed the Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill, briefing newsmen after a meeting with the State Chief Secretaries, Director General of Police, Chief...

DIBRUGARH, March 10: The All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students' Union has reiterated its demand for autonomy within Assam and has lambasted the State government for not keeping its word on the matter. Representatives of the association were assured on August 7, 1999 that soon after the Lok Sabha polls are over, the demand would get due priority from the State government. This assurance was from the State Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who formally met the students at Dispur that day. Speaking to The Assam Tribune here, the association's president, Tankeswar Sonowal and secretary, Dipak...

GUWAHATI, March 11: The Congress, if voted to power in Assam, will bring a Right to Information Bill to make the administration more transparent, said the president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Tarun Gogoi. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Gogoi pointed out that such a Bill would expedite the process of development and check corruption to a great extent. He said that revamping the rural economy of the State would be one of the major aims of his party and the failure of the AGP-led Government to hold the Panchayat polls would be one of the main poll planks of the Congress...

NEW DELHI, March 11: Setting all speculations to rest, the BJP today admitted that the ruling AGP had sent feelers to the central leadership with alliance proposals. The talks, however, did not progress, said former Union Minister of State, Kabindra Purkayastha. The former minister's revelation came, even as a six-member delegation of the AGP led by Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta arrived here this evening. Though Mahanta's visit was a scheduled one, the other ministers including Chandra Mohan Patowary, Pradip Hazarika and Shaidul Alam Choudhury, joined in at the last hour, triggering...

GUWAHATI, March 10: As erection of border fencing and posting of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have failed to effectively check the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into Assam, steps have been initiated to create a second line of defence just behind the BSF line to check the foreigners who manage to sneak through the barriers. Official sources said here that 28 places have been selected along the 270 km-long Assam-Bangladesh border for the posting of the second line of defence comprising personnel from the Border Police Force to check influx of the illegal migrants from Bangladesh...

GUWAHATI, March 8: Assam Chief Minister and president of the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has been authorised by the party to take the final decision regarding forging an alliance with the BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls in the state. Mahanta was delegated this authority at a high-level party meeting at his official residence yesterday, party sources said. After a threadbare discussion on the prospects of an alliance between the AGP and the BJP, a majority of the AGP office bearers expressed the view that the party should explore the possibility of such a tie...

GUWAHATI, March 8: Employees working in different departments under Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) have not received their salary for at least four months as the Council is in financial straitjacket which has already exhausted the Budget provision for the current financial. However, even as the employees are left to reel under hardship, bills of contractors are being paid without delay. This has raised many a eyebrows for the simple reason that any administration authority dogged by fund crisis would have opted to pay its employees first before settling bills of contractors who could...