GUWAHATI, Aug 12 - Opposing the move of the Sarbananda Sonowal government to set up model colleges and name them after Jan Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya, alliance party AGP today said the decision should be withdrawn and the new institutions be named after eminent personalities from the State.
Addressing a press conference here, AGP general secretary Dr Kamalakanta Kalita said there are many prominent personalities who had contributed immensely to the State�s social life. �Scholars, like Krishna Kanta Handiqui, Lakshminath Bezbaroa, Syed Abdul Malik, Sitanath Brahma Choudhury, Anundoram Borooah, Padmanath Gohain Baruah, Hemchandra Baruah, Banikanta Kakati, Maheshwar Neog, etc., have enriched the Assamese language, culture, literature through their contributions. It will be a befitting tribute to them if the colleges are named after such great men,� Kalita said.
He said the AGP, being a regional party, has a �responsibility� to protect the State�s �race, land and foundation� (jati-mati-bheti) and it would not do anything which is against the interest of the indigenous people.
The AGP leader also insisted that the government did not discuss the issue with them before taking the decision.
�The party won�t budge from its ideology. As such the party urges the State government to review the decision and name the colleges after eminent personalities of the State,� he said.
The AGP leader admitted that there are ideological differences with its alliance partner BJP in the government.
�We have been opposing anything that goes against our ideology, like we have been doing in case of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. We will continue to oppose the proposed new law,� he said.
Meanwhile, in view of the upcoming panchayat elections, the AGP will hold a convention of the party on September 15 in the city. �We will deliberate and devise our election strategy at the convention on how to strengthen our grassroots and contest the elections on our own,� Kalita added.
