Is Samujjal Bhattacharya’s days numbered in AASU?

GUWAHATI: In what may be construed as a step towards sidelining senior student leader Samujjal Kr Bhattacharya by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the apex students’ organisation today said he was presently not authorised to speak on behalf of it.

“He is free to give his personal statements. But, since the adviser or any other office bearer of the earlier executive body cease to be in office after our new executive committee assumed charge and since we are also yet to offer him any post, be it adviser or chief adviser, he is not making any statement on behalf of the AASU,” AASU general secretary Shankar Jyoti Baruah said in a press conference here today.

When contacted by InsideNE, Baruah said: “There is nothing as such. We are not sidelining him. When our executive committee designates him and other senior leaders in different positions, they will guide us again, they will speak on behalf of the AASU. It’s afterall a protocol. But, he is always free to express his personal views.”

Bhattacharya has been one of the few longest associated leaders of the AASU. He led the students’ organisation for over three decades and was its advisor till the new executive body assumed charged a couple of months ago.

Despite many offers from different political parties, the senior leader has always refused to join electoral politics.

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Meanwhile, the AASU today appealed to the people of Assam to vote for the Assam Jatiya Parishad in the Assam assembly elections in March-April. “We would like to appeal to the people to support AJP because parties like Congress, BJP and AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) have all cheated them. AJP is guided by values and zeal to work for the people,” Baruah said.

On the other hand, another newly floated regional party, Anchalik Gana Morcha, that has allied with a Congress-led six-party alliance, today renewed its call to the AJP and Raijor Dal to join the alliance to defeat the BJP-led NDA alliance in the state.

“The only way to defeat BJP is unification of all regional parties. A divided fight will indeed help the BJP win easily. We are still hopeful that the regional parties who are still keeping themselves away from united fight, will think realistically and accept out invitation very soon,” AGM leader and Rajya Sabha member Ajit Bhuyan said.