Will AGP back BJP in its pursuit to bring back CAB?

Guwahati, February 21, 2019:

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Wednesday held a central executive committee meeting to decide the party's strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha election that is scheduled to be held in the months of April and May 2019.

The central executive committee of the AGP consists of seven members among whom Ramendranarayan Kalita, General Secretary of AGP, has been appointed as the convenor. The other members of the committee are Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta, Phanibhusan Choudhury, Dr Kamala Kalita, Birendraprasad Baishya and Pradip Hazarika.

The committee is yet to resolve the matter of alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

However, despite reaching no resolution regarding the alliance conundrum, AGP leader Kamala Kalita commented: “Anything can happen in Politics”.

This statement of the senior AGP member raises some interesting questions. Although the AGP had parted ways with the BJP due to apparent concerns over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the chances of them reuniting with the BJP have become stronger as the Bill has not been passed.

But, on the other hand, the BJP is adamant as ever to pass the Bill, as BJP President Amit Shah himself declared the party's intention to do so at a recent rally in North Lakhimpur. Thus, will the AGP brave an alliance with the BJP despite knowing their intentions? It is to be mentioned that AGP President Atul Bora has not yet ruled out a reestablishment of the alliance with the BJP.