The process of finalising the blueprint of the new political party by the influential All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) is moving at a snail’s pace as there are a lot of ambiguities that need to be ironed out.
G Plus spoke to AASU President Dipanka Kumar Nath who stated that concerned insiders are looking upon the recommendations. On the issue of people migrating from the students’ union to the proposed party, he said, "A few members of the union will go the party once it is formed."
The Asom Paramarshadata Committee formed by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) has recently finalised the “political” roadmap of the party; however, the exact nature of the political party and its goals still remains a topic of discussion.
Central Committee member Uddip Jyoti Gogoi said, "All will be revealed post the October session once the AASU meet is done. A few central committee members have expressed desire to join the party.”
AASU and AJYCP had taken the step at forming a new political party ahead of the upcoming assembly elections 2021 after both the groups spearheaded the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.
As of now, the committee guidelines are yet to be made public. Even so, people privy to the matter see it as a guiding light for the future political discourse of the third front that might be born out of AASU and AJYCP.
After talks of general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Dipanka Nath joining the new party surfaced, a few considered them to be the revamped projection of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Bhrigu Phukan by AASU. "As for me, I am yet to take a decision on this," was Dipanka Nath's response to this reporter when asked about his plans about joining the new party.
Meanwhile, the hopefuls of regionalism consider it as the start of new development in Assam. State Health Minister and BJP Chairman of North East Democratic Alliance, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been critical and called AASU “a political party.”
In this context, Dipanka Nath responded by saying, "We are going to take a new course of action after 35 years. We have not formed a party in between but that doesn't mean we will never form a party.”
"AASU will play a proactive role. We have always backed some party and this time it will be this new formation under us, nothing has changed," Nath said.
However, there is still a lack of clarity among the lower-level workers over whom the group is tilting towards. Whether it will be the new political party or will it change according to the candidates as they are awaiting further information from the higher-ups?
Speaking to G Plus, AASU member Shankar said, "The recommendations are still not public. We are now all in Duliajan over the formation of the reception committee that will conduct the upcoming October session meet."
AASU’s constitution doesn’t allow its members to be a part of a political party and to be in AASU at the same time.
For the record, Assam's current top brass leaders including Himanta Biswa Sarma, Sarbananda Sonowal, Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta, Tapan Gogoi, and many others had started their political careers from the organisation. As such, political observers await their next move.