“NaMo no factor in Assam”– Badaruddinn Ajmal

SILCHAR, November 18: Narendra Modi wave, mostly hyped by the media, might cause ripples and rumbles in electoral politics across the country. His oratory and demagoguery and large size public rallies and meetings might send messages of a change in power equation at the Centre. Pre poll surveys might predict favourable winds for BJP in the assembly elections of Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. For Badaruddin Ajmal, AIUDF chief, the prime ministerial candidate of the saffron party is “no factor in Assam in the Lok Sabha polls of 2014”, a few months away and he sees no possibility of BJP becoming a force in the state in near or distant future. Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, AIUDF supremo pointed out, has the liberty to dream of becoming the next prime minister. But, the simmering rifts and conflicts within the party and a lot of his adversaries, as he said, would spoil his chances and his dreams would never be fulfilled. Moreover, even the pre poll surveys did not indicate majority for BJP to form the government at the Centre on its own. He foresees the possibility of crisis in the party after the Lok Sabha elections. He however did not elaborate. Taking to The Sentinel during his whirlpool tour of Barak Valley recently, Badaruddinn Ajmal said Congress is their main opposition in all the 14 seats which his party will contest and he claimed leaders and workers are more than united to take the battle in all preparedness. He was happy to see the turn outs at workers’ meets and public meetings. “AIUDF is fully gearing up and detail–strategy for the polls will be finalized within a month”, he added to say. He denied there was any dissension within the leadership and revealed the lists of candidates for all the seats including Silchar and Karimganj would be announced within a month. Asked about pre poll or post poll alliance, AIUDF chief ruled out such possibility. Elaborating, he said his party would have no truck either with Congress or BJP. He hit out at Congress for corruption and unprecedented price rise notwithstanding his support for the UPA Government. He admitted there “are issues galore to target Congress.” People in general are disillusioned and disenchanted with the misrule and his party is all set to exploit them, he said. He did not spare words for BJP either for its “divisive and communal politics”. The issues as poll plank of his party would be shortlisted and strategy devised to woo the voters. Badaruddin Ajmal was not very optimistic about a viable third front emerging. “The scenario is confusing with leaders of parties in the reckoning speaking in many and contradictory languages”, he pointed out. The initiative of AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to forge an alliance of ten regional parties is welcome which as planned is to become a part of the grand alliance of the national parties But, in the absence of cohesiveness and common approach, the formation of third front, as he could understand, is totally uncertain. “In such a situation, my party will wait and watch before taking a decisive step”’ he stated. It was also clear that Congress too would fail to form the government in Delhi on its own strength. On the whole, political pundits are also uncertain about the shape of government to take reign of power at the centre. But, AIUDF supremo has enough reasons to cheer up for being the frontline leader of a party that has become the second largest opposition in Assam with 1 MP and 19 MLA seats. He is confident of increasing the tally further. Though he refused to go for number, he was hopeful of bagging more seats in the Parliamentary elections. And with that objective, all thrust is now on forming booth level committees, mass contact and door to door campaign. Without any exaggeration under the dynamic and charismatic leadership of Badaruddin Ajmal, AIUDF is gaining in strength to throw challenge with all vehemence and force to the opposition. To the question if his party queered the pitch for Congress candidate Santosh Mohan Dev in the Lok Sabha polls of 2009 to ensure the victory of BJP nominee Kabindra Purkayastha from Silchar seat from where he too contested and that was exactly the public perception and also an analysis of the results, Badaruddin Ajmal dismissed it as “totally wrong and malicious”. His party “maintains equidistance from both Congress and BJP and they remain our main adversaries’, he maintained.   The Sentinel

19^th Nov.13