GUWAHATI, March 13: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Legislature Party has thwarted a dissidents' bid to corner the leadership for the party's debacle in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections in the state.The over 10-hour-long crucial party meeting, which ended here late last night, resolved to ``work for the people'' and strengthen the party's present leadership negating a move by some senior ministers for removing the party president and Legislative Party leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
The seminar, which saw attendance by most of the Cabinet Ministers, assured the legislators to look into their grievances, the sources said, adding that the MLAs were asked by the party chief whip Hiten Goswami to raise their views over the style and functioning of the government.
Sources said except a few, no one supported the dissident leader and state PWD Minister Atul Bora's allegations against the party leadership, asserting the need for ending the on-going squabbles within the party. Bora had earlier told newsmenthat he would raise his grievances against the Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in the AGLP meet. The meeting unanimously endorsed a resolution passed by the party's executive meet tsaying Army operations be suspended for the moment and negotiation process with ultras be initiated by the government, party sources said.
The deliberation, which had detailed discussions on the militancy problem vis-a-vis counter-insurgency operation and its repercussions on the socio-political set up, insisted on a political settlement of the issue, saying it should not be tackled as mere law-and-order problem. A large section of party legislators asserted the growing resentment among the people over the unified command structure ``which cost the AGP dearly in the just-concluded elections'', the sources said.
The legislators urged ministers in charge of key development departments to make available adequate funds for implementation of the schemes which had already been taken up, saying the economic activities during thelast 20 month had been sluggish, sources said.
Besides deliberating on strategy to be adopted during the coming budget session and the party's poor show in the poll, the MLAs also deliberated upon how the government could mobilise additional resources for speeding up developmental activities.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
