GUWAHATI: A coalition of opposition parties convened in a hotel in Guwahati to formulate a common strategy and draft a charge sheet against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging corruption.
The meeting brought together a total of 13 political parties, one more than initially proposed, with the All India Forward Bloc becoming the 13th party to join the discussion related to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state. This number is expected to increase to 15 during the next meeting scheduled to be held in Dibrugarh at the end of November.
During the gathering, APCC president Bhupen Borah addressed the media to convey the resolutions reached by the opposition alliance. Two additional political parties, the All Party Hills Leaders’ Conference (APHLC) led by Jones Ingti Kathar in Karbi Anglong and Shiv Sena (Assam), will be part of the next opposition alliance meeting, expanding the coalition to 15 parties.
The upcoming meeting, to be held in Dibrugarh, will focus on discussions related to two pension schemes that have prompted protests by state employees. The parties also agreed to address the BJP's utilisation of employees.
All decisions regarding the mass movement will be made by a coordination committee of the opposition alliance. Among the resolutions agreed upon, the 13 parties pledged to jointly form a mass opinion and devise a mass movement against allegations of corruption involving CM Sarma and his family.
The alliance also committed to discussing the two pension schemes and scrutinising the BJP's promises made in the Vision document. The responsibility for drafting the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has been entrusted to TMC Assam president Ripun Bora, while the charge sheet against the BJP government for alleged corruption will be prepared by MP Ajit Bhuyan and CLP leader Rakibul Hussain. Both drafts of the CMP and charge sheet will be presented at the Dibrugarh meeting.
