Exodus to the saffron camp

While the BJP in Assam is yet to make its stand clear on various issues pertaining to Assam, the regiol politics camp seems to stand nowhere if its long series of electoral reverses are anything to go by. Possibly this explains the steady exodus of erstwhile regiol leaders to the saffron party. Recently former AJYCP president Manoj Baruah, former Asom Chah Jagosthi Jatiya Mahasabha president Teros Gowala joined the BJP. Earlier former AGP minister Jagadish Bhuyan with a horde of supporters crossed over to the BJP, following other AGP stalwarts like Atul Bora, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Pulakesh Baruah, Hiten Goswami, Hemanta Kalita and Queen Ojha. There is much speculation in political circles that former AASU president Shankar Prasad Roy and general secretary Tapan Gogoi are gearing up for active politics through the BJP. This exodus is likely to grow in the coming months with several regiol leaders dropping ample hints about their saffron orientation. After decades of struggle to carve out a separate regiol identity in the politics of the country, parties like the AGP and ASDC are now a shadow of their former selves. So is the BJP in Assam holding up a credible, altertive vision to take the State forward? Does that explain the growing attraction for the colour saffron among regiol political leaders, or is it their opportunistic desire to revive moribund political fortunes? Surprisingly, the BJP is yet to spell out its agenda and how it plans to go about solving the burning problems of Assam, despite setting an ambitious target of ’84 plus’ Assembly seats for 2016. Meanwhile a senior jourlist like Adip Kumar Phukan had to leave the saffron party in utter disillusionment, after joining it with much fanfare before the Lok Sabha elections last year. Politics in Assam is likely to witness more seismic changes in the run up to 2016, with former top AIUDF leaders like Ataur Rahman Mazhar Bhuyan and Sherman Ali noticeably cosying up to the Congress while Congress dissidents are reportedly playing a waiting game.