From 'Who is Ajmal' to 'Ajmal my Friend': Foe turns Friend for Congress Leader Tarun Gogoi

Guwahati, March 13, 2020:

Today, veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi, who had once thundered "Who is Ajmal" in run up to elections, was seen walking hand-in-hand with his one-time foe, Badruddin Ajmal.

It has become the custom in Assam that wherever the Congress party goes, the shadow of Ajmal and his All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) brethren doth follow. For, murmurs arise that Ajmal and his party have a "secret understanding" with the Congress.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside/videos/509728559597427/

For long, the two parties have slugged it out for political supremacy in the minority-dominated region. For, ever since the ascent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam and its elevation as the numero uno political force in the region, the minorities have no other alternative but the Congress and AIUDF, and understandably so.

The AIUDF, which rose to prominence post the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, was seen as a champion of the illegal Bangladeshi interests, and Gogoi was loathe to see his Congress and the oft-reviled AIUDF as "allies", hence he would often lash out (sometimes aggressively) upon being asked about possible alliance. However, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Recently, Gogoi came forward to express his love for the AIUDF, and sought to embrace it as a "lesser evil" than the saffron party. "Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is greater evil than Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). We are planning a joint effort to find out a common candidate so that we can elect one member to the Rajya Sabha. In Assam, the Congress and AIUDF are the opposition parties," Tarun Gogoi said.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside/videos/879387512523582/

It may be mentioned here that the Opposition comprising the Congress with 23 MLAs and perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) with 14 MLAs can bag the third seat only if they field a consensus candidate and there is cross-voting. The BJP, that has 86 legislators, is confident of winning the two other seats. The three seats are to be vacated by Bhubaneswar Kalita, Sanjay Sinh and Biswajit Daimary in April. Kalita and Singh are former Congressmen who went on to join the BJP.

Today, the duo were seen fingers intertwined and professed undying love for each other. Ajmal even said that their alliance would continue into the 2021 Assembly Polls and beyond, while Gogoi lashed out at the naysayers and alleged that the BJP, and not the AIUDF, is the actual communal force in Assam.

He said, "They are the coronavirus of communalism. They are trying to divide the nation into several parts. When they go to Barpeta, Dhubri, they claim it to be Bangladesh.”

The former CM, speaking on the nomination of Ajit Kumar Bhuyan from the AIUDF-Congress, said that all the intellectuals, artistes, and political parties have also come together to “subdue” the BJP party through the nomination of the veteran. “Not only is Ajit Bhuyan the candidate of the Congress-AIUDF, he is also the candidate of those who believe in democracy, secularism. Not only for opposition to the CAA, we have also shaken hands with him to protect democracy and the principle of secularism”, Tarun Gogoi added.

The Ajmal-Gogoi 'frenemiship' is indeed one of the most intriguing factors in the political hemisphere of Assam and the future promises more as the duo continue to develop their bond, despite harsh criticism from the BJP leadership, and especially Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

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.