Guwahati, April 17: The Assam BJP unit is “sorely missing” the now-retired party icon Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its central leadership gets ready to finalise its stand on the Indo-Bangla land-swap deal.
Senior BJP leaders, barring last-minute changes, will meet at L.K. Advani’s residence in New Delhi tomorrow to decide on a deal which the state unit is bitterly opposed to just like the AASU, KMSS and AGP. All have dubbed the agreement a “total sellout” in contrast to the ruling Congress’s “win-win” line.
A section of state leaders is worried that support to the proposed external affairs ministry-piloted bill to get the September 6, 2011 agreement between the Prime Ministers of both countries ratified will not only adversely impact the BJP’s prospects in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls but also its future growth in Assam.
The party has four Lok Sabha MPs, all of whom are expected to participate in the meeting along with state president Sarbananda Sonowal.
Sonowal told The Telegraph from Delhi this evening that on April 6, BJP’s foundation day, all district units in Assam had sent a memorandum to the prime minister through the deputy commissioners, specifically mentioning that “not even a single inch of Assam land” should be handed over to Dhaka. The party’s principle objective is to protect the “sovereignty, integrity and unity of the country,” Sonowal said.
The worry of state leaders stems from the “inability” of the present leadership to “grasp” the mindset of the Assamese community on “burning” problems such as influx, big dam, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and NRC.
The party, they claim, is either confused or has no clear-cut opinion on these issues. “The Congress says the deal is in national interest but will it be of any help if Assam’s long-term interests are compromised? We want to know why the Centre is not pushing hard for a treaty wherein Bangladesh will take back all those who have been declared foreigners (Bangladeshis) by our courts. Our central leadership should look into these before taking a call on the land deal,” a state BJP leader told The Telegraph.
Such is the worry that state leaders are “missing” the ailing Vajpayee, who, they said, always “cared” for Assam.
“He boycotted the 1983 Assam Assembly elections when it was held against the wishes of the Assamese people; he had participated in the satyagraha at Chandmari during the anti-foreigners movement while in 1981 he gave a speech in Parliament highlighting the problems of Assam. We don’t have icons like that after he retired from active politics in 2005. We doubt how many of our present central leaders are acquainted with Assam’s problems. We miss Vajpayeeji,” the leader said.
The Assam BJP, like most other units, continues to invoke Vajpayee in times of need. In the 2011 Assembly elections, posters of Vajpayee were displayed by several party candidates, though he was long retired.
Officials said Bangladesh would gain 193.85 acres in Dhubri and 74.55 acres in Karimganj districts. India will gain 714 acres of un-demarcated land in Karimganj against 90 acres by Bangladesh owing to the deal.
