Poll pact with AGP; BJP top brass to decide

NEW DELHI, March 8: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to take the final decision on the issue of forging an alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and now it is left to the Central leadership of the BJP to take the final decision in this regard. The State unit leaders of the BJP today held a day-long meeting to discuss the issue after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday directed them to revaluate their stand on an alliance with the AGP. The State unit of the BJP decided to stick to their stand to opposing an alliance with the AGP and briefed the party president Bangaru Laxman about their decision late this evening. Laxman is scheduled to brief the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister later tonight. The Central leadership of the BJP is likely to announce its decision in a press conference tomorrow. The intention of the Central leadership not to let the Congress have a runaway victory in Assam seem to override all other factors, with the Prime Minister asking the State leadership to consider all available options in the State. The State unit, however, continued to voice their opposition to such an alliance. The only saving grace for the State leadership was that the Central leadership has conveyed to them that it would not override its views and they would accept whatever final decision is taken. "The decision on forming alliances in the State has been left to the State unit," boasted the BJP Assam unit president. At the last night meeting with the Prime Minister, which was also attended by the Union Home Minister L K Advani and national president of the party, Bangaru Laxman among other top leaders, the State leadership again presented their case before Vajpayee. The State leaders, sources said mentioned that growing unpopularity of the AGP in the State would harm BJP's prospects instead of helping it. A section of the Central leaders were of the view that split of votes between AGP and BJP would help the Congress, a contention that was echoed by the Prime Minister. Gohain when asked about it asserted that the vote bases of BJP and AGP were no longer the same. "The BJP enjoys support among the Bengali, Bihari and other non-Assamese Hindu voters whereas even the traditional supporters of the regional party - the Assamese people are deserting it and supporting us," he claimed. Meanwhile, the question that has baffled the Assam BJP members was the identity of the person who has been lobbying on behalf of the regional party. If reports floating around the party headquarters here is to be believed, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu's entry in to the picture turned the situation around. Naidu, a close ally of the AGP and a personal friend of Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta reportedly has been in close touch with the Prime Minister expressing keen desire that the two forged an alliance. Gohain, however, dismissed such reports saying that unlike the Congress the BJP was a cadre-based party and such decisions are not influenced by anybody.