Nagaon, June 28: The Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) today made it clear to the Jayanta Rongpi faction that it would have to give up its Leftist ideology if it wants reunification. ASDC chief Holiram Terang today said his party would not consider any political relationship with the Left group and Rongpi’s unity proposal would be discussed only if “the leaders who left the party four years ago shed their CPI(M-L) tag and came only as members of the Progressive faction”.
The Rongpi-led group of the ASDC had recently proposed that the two factions merge to regain legitimacy in the politics of the two hill districts of Assam.
In a press release, the Rongpi-led faction, in conjunction with its students’ and women’s wings and the CPI (M-L) had offered to work together with the ASDC “to keep the anti-regional political forces away from the political race in hills”. The Progressive faction claimed that the split in the party in August 2000 brought the Congress back to power in the two district councils. “It is time to set aside all past mistakes and make an effort for a joint movement in the days to come,” the release added.
A source in the ASDC (Progressive) said the Terang-led fraction was strongly against any link with the Left party. The Rongpi group later formed the Progressive faction, which was backed by the Left.
Senior ASDC leader and party MLA Jagat Singh Terang today said his party has made its stand clear on the CPI(M-L) as well as autonomy and there was no scope for any compromise.