Guwahati, March 3: The AGP has completely "surrendered" before the BJP for money and not for any ideology or the state's interests, according to Bharat Chandra Narah, press adviser to Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

Both the Opposition AGP and BJP announced a pre-poll alliance yesterday for the Assembly polls, ending months of speculation.

Speaking to reporters in the chief minister's conference hall at the secretariat here this afternoon, Narah, a former AASU and senior Congress leader, went all out against the alliance. He started with accusing the Narendra Modi government of laying the foundation of two bridges on the Brahmaputra without a detailed project report. "They had written to the state PWD to engage a consultant for the bridges on February 26 and laid the foundation stone on February 27. This shows their sincerity," he said.

Then, he went after the alliance. "It is not based on any ideology or done in the interests of Assam. Having ruled the state twice, the AGP has completely surrendered before the BJP. It was on its knees trying to forge an alliance nobody in Assam wants. They don't even know how many seats they will get. They (AGP) have done it only for the money."

A former cabinet minister, Narah said, "The AGP had criticised the BJP for being communal and for neglecting the Assam Accord in the past 18 months. The BJP, on the other hand, embraced Himanta Biswa Sarma, our former colleague, who they had targeted in corruption cases. Now both parties have joined hands. It has made our (Congress) job easier. I will be addressing another news meet after the polls, as a cabinet minister."

"The political scene changed last night as several 'shell-shocked' leaders of both parties got in touch with us to join the Congress," Narah claimed. He also attacked both parties (see chart), broadly suggesting the Congress's poll planks.

Narah tried to play up the BJP's Mission 84 strategy. "They don't talk about it now. Having known their strength, they have forged an alliance with the AGP. The appeal of the BJP has waned. As for AGP, they will break bread with Sarma who had once famously said that the AGP's Ambari headquarters will soon turn into a marriage hall," he said.

AGP spokesperson Satyabrat Kalita shot back at Narah: "If the AGP doesn't have any ideology, then why did the Congress want to have an alliance with us? Our main objective is to end the 15-year-old Congress misrule in Assam by preventing any division of non-Congress votes. Whatever the Congress leaders are saying are baseless and reflects their frustration."

"The chief minister is again raking up the secret killings issue, which has become a political slogan for him. If he is so sincere then why hasn't he been able to arrest a single person involved in the secret killings during his 15-year tenure?" Kalita asked.