Guwahati, Dec. 7: The newly-floated political party, People’s Front, has set its sights on the state’s regional forces, alleging that they had failed to meet the aspirations of the people and solve burning issues.
The front was formally launched with former Baithalangso MLA and veteran Karbi leader Holiram Terang as its president and 50 other central executive members, prominent leaders among them were either sidelined by the AGP and the Trinamul Congress or lost elections as candidates for other parties.
The party was launched during a political convention here at the district library today with a warning to the regional political forces of erosion in their vote base starting from the ensuing elections in the Karbi Anglong autonomous council likely to be held in January.
“Most of us have been associated with regional political forces and their activities for a long time, but the regional political parties have failed to bring in the required changes in the state. So we decided to form a new regional party because we believe that regionalism is still relevant and we need to take this forward,” Israel Nanda, the front’s working president and former AGP leader, said.
Nanda, a tea belt leader from Upper Assam, had left the AGP before the last Assembly elections and had joined the Trinamul but lost the battle of ballots.
Other prominent leaders of the new front are Terang, a former MLA of Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) and former Trinamul MLA from Mariani Alok Ghosh, who lost two consecutive elections for the party.
The front leaders said they would strengthen their base in tea gardens, among religious and linguistic minorities as well as other communities who were “exploited” only for votes by the political parties, both ruling and the Opposition.
“Leaders of our present political parties go to the tea gardens before elections but forget their problems thereafter. We will try to reach closer to the tea garden workers and seek their support,” Nanda said.
The general secretary of the front, Shyamal Baruah, said: “Leaders of other parties will soon join us.”
