Putting Aside Speculations, AASU Says 'No Political Party for Now'

Guwahati, February 28, 2020:

Putting aside speculations of "will they or won't they", the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), the apex body of the State, on February 28, said that the student body will not form a political party, as of yet.

ALSO READ: Assam’s Anima Dutta, with 23 Yrs of Experience as a Mason, Lauded as ‘Working Class Hero’

Upon being asked about the possibility of an AASU-led outfit making its presence felt in Assam pre-election, the AASU Chief Advisor said that the meetings convened today and yesterday focused on only one thing: the anti-CAA movement that the organization has been spearheading across Assam. "Yesterday and today, we had two sittings. In both, we have resolved to intensify the movement. We are halting the movement, for the movement, so as not to inconvenience the students appearing for boards. But, we promise a stronger rebellion", Bhattacharya said.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside/videos/2818356354878989/

Bhattacharya says that a pertinent question at the moment seems to be: "How will we take this movement forward?". This, the AASU leader says, will be posited during a public forum where the people will decide.

The AASU leader also revealed that an economic aspect to the anti-CAA movement, to lend more teeth to the agitation, will be mused upon in the coming months.

ALSO READ: 70,000 Corpses Cut by Assam ‘Sweeper’ Deep Lal, Shares His Story

Slamming the Government for "intimidating" AASU on-ground workers recently in Golaghat, Bhattacharya called upon the administration to put an end to such acts.

Meanwhile, AASU President Dipanka Nath has argued that the Assam Government, and especially the AGP and BJP parties, have "betrayed the people."

Nath, upon being asked about the party, said that the AASU had never promised such a thing. What the AASU did promise, according to Nath, was to support a people's political movement to defeat the CAA.

Nath also opined that since the CAA will, probably, turn the Assamese into a "minority", and stressed on the need to continue the agitation, lest it harm the culture, language, and identity of Assam.

It may be mentioned here that clamours for a new political party to contest the 2021 elections against the BJP began amidst the anti-CAA agitation in Assam, with AASU touted as the go-to organization to form such a body. AASU leader Dipanka Nath, at a Bihu event, stated that the student body will most likely form an "alternative solution" to the BJP. However, today's statements by the AASU leaders confirms that the idea of a party has been put on the backburner. For now.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.