With an eye on a camera viewfinder, former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta surveys the scene ahead of him at the AGP headquarters in Guwahati on Tuesday. Picture by Biju Boro

Dhemaji, Oct. 14: The AGP spent its 18th Foundation Day trying to hardsell the relevance of regionalism in Assam while deftly avoiding any reference to the squabbling within, which is threatening to rip apart the party once again.

In his presidential address, party chief Brindaban Goswami stressed the need to strengthen “regional spirit” for socio-economic development of the state. He said only a revitalised AGP, with its regional outlook, could fulfil the aspirations of the people.

Goswami claimed that regionalism was still relevant in this part of the country and urged party workers to imbibe the “spirit of service” to regain the “lost glory” of the party.

He said the AGP was formed at the historic Golaghat convention — on October 14, 1985 — to give the people a regional party with a national outlook, one that would carry forward the struggle waged by the martyrs of the Assam Movement.

Underscoring the significance of the AGP’s Foundation Day, he appealed to party leaders and workers to draw strength by paying homage to the martyrs.

The AGP Foundation Day is observed on this day every year to commemorate the sacrifice of the 850-odd martyrs of the six-year Assam Movement.

Today’s function had an added significance because of the party leadership’s attempt to use the occasion to boost the morale of party workers unnerved by the growing rift between Goswami and former president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

Over 7,000 AGP members attended the function, held at Dhemaji Court Field. The event was jointly organised by the Dhemaji, Jonai and Dhekowakhana units of the party.

Mahanta and leaders siding with him were conspicuous by their absence at the function. One of the invitees who skipped the function was former education minister Thaneswar Boro.

The president of the Arunachal Congress, Kameng Ringu, and seven of his party colleagues attended the event.

None of the speakers made any reference to dissension in the party. The topic is, however, likely to dominate the meeting of AGP district units at Promod Bhavan tomorrow.

The meeting is also likely to chalk out the party’s strategy for the municipality election this year and the Lok Sabha poll next year.