GUWAHATI, March 6: The Congress-organised ‘grand alliance’ against the ruling BJP in poll-bound Assam has apparently run into rough weather over seat-sharing with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by Badaruddin Ajmal, MP.
Resentment is rife with the main opposition party Congress in Assam over the party leadership’s decision to allot as many as 24 Legislative Assembly constituencies to the AIUDF both in Brahmaputra Valley and Barak Valley.
Congress sources informed that senior party leaders like Pradyut Bardoloi, a sitting MP, and former minister, Rakibul Hussain and former MP and a senior party leader from Barak Valley Sushmita Dev have openly expressed their opposition against allotment of so many seats to AIUDF.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Barak Valley leader and All India Women Congress president Sushmita Dev who already has difference over the Congress’ anti-CAA stand, has even decided to quit Congress expressing dissatisfaction over allotment of ‘so many’ seats of AIUDF risking the party’s prospects especially in Barak Valley region of Assam.
It may be mentioned that Congress with an eye on majority LACs in Assamese-speaking Brahmaputra Valley has been openly opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which has not gone down well with party leaders and members from Bengali speaking Barak Valley where CAA has been overtly welcomed by all sections especially Bengali-speaking Hindus with roots in Bangladesh.
No wonder the party’s anti-CAA stand has put Barak Valley leader Sushmita Sen in a difficult situation given that CAA has been a hit in her backyard and the BJP has made much inroad in Barak Valley riding on the CAA.
Sources said there has been persistent different between a section of state party leaders and the AICC in-charge Jitendra Singh who is in favour of allotting more seats to the AIUDF even though its fortunes had plummeted in the state in recent times as per performance of the party in the last Lok Sabha and 2016 Assembly election in the state.
