NEW DELHI, Dec 23 � Acclaiming a critical phase of history when Assam stood as one to safeguard its identity, former Rajya Sabha MP and noted journalist and author, Kuldip Nayar described AGP president and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta as a betrayer, who did nothing for the cause.
Nayar was inaugurating the function to celebrate the year-long programme to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Sahityrathi Lakshminath Bezbaroa by the Assam Association in collaboration with global non-resident Assamese socio-cultural organisations at the Sri Fort Auditorium here last evening.
Recalling his close association with Assam since the days of the language agitation of 1960, Nayar said that though the government of the day acted tough and imposed curfew, the Assamese people agitated peacefully for their language and identity, he recounted.
Shifting to the Assam agitation, the octogenarian said that he had worked closely with the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) and helped its leaders like Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Bhrigu Kumar Phukan.
�It is a tragedy that Mahanta betrayed the cause later. The people elected him to office, but he didn�t do much,� he lamented.
Nayar observed that the people of Assam have struggled a lot, recalling what Jawaharlal Nehru had said during the Chinese aggression. �Nehru�s comment still rankle you,� he observed.
�The people of Assam, as part of the federal structure, have made a lot of sacrifice. When I look back and see I find that lots of dreams have gone,� he said.
The year-long celebration, meanwhile, started with a bang on Sunday evening, with the performers keeping the jam-packed mega-auditorium enthralled for hours. The inaugural function was attended by sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, among other celebrities. First, it was the sarod recital by Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan that kept the audience spell-bound. The performance by the two brothers was marked by repeated applauses from the audience, who gave them a standing ovation at the end of their performance.
It was then the turn of pop icon of Coke Studio fame Angaraag Papan Mahanta to rock the concert, literally bringing the audience on to their feet. He captivated the audience with a mix of his popular Assamese and Hindi numbers. The organisers, office-bearers of Assam Association had a tough time in winding up the function, as the crowd of students and youngsters refused to call it quits.
Papan, originally from Guwahati, chose to describe himself as a true Delhite.