GUWAHATI, March 6 � Though there have been speculations about possible alliance between the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) before the next Lok Sabha polls, the issue is yet to be discussed by both the parties in any of their meetings. The Congress members are of the view that the issue needs to be decided by the party high command, while the AIUDF asserted that the issue was not discussed in any of the meetings within the party.
The recent statements of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi about possible understanding with the AIUDF in the days to come have given rise to speculations and even Congress men are not aware as to why such statements are made. Gogoi recently did not rule out the possibility of some kind of understanding with the AIUDF and said that such a decision would have to be taken by the party high command.
A senior Congress Minister, who refused to be named, said, �The Chief Minister recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi to discuss the situation in the State. But we are not aware whether the issue of possible understanding with the AIUDF was discussed in the meetings.� He further said that the matter has not been discussed in any of the meetings of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), but it is a fact that the Congress would try to increase its seats in the State in the coming Lok Sabha elections. That is why it is up to the party high command to decide whether to come into an understanding with the AIUDF.
It is a fact that the growth of the AIUDF in the recently concluded Panchayat polls, particularly in the minority dominated areas, has become a cause of concern for the Congress.
Meanwhile, AIUDF general secretary Hafiz Basir Ahmed Qasimi , talking to The Assam Tribune, said that the party has not discussed the issue of coming into an understanding with the Congress in any of its meetings. He said that the AIUDF has not received any proposal from the Congress in this regard and alleged that a section of the Congressmen were floating such rumours. Replying to a question on the recent statements of the Chief Minister, the AIUDF leader said, �the Chief Minister will be in a better position to answer this question.�
A delegation of the AIUDF legislators yesterday met the Chief Minister but Qasimi said that they did not discuss politics. He said that the AIUDF legislators met the Chief Minister to discuss the delay on the part of the Government departments to repair the damages caused by floods last year. The delegation called upon the Chief Minister to ensure that funds are released on time so that the damages caused to the roads and bridges last year can be repaired before the onset of the monsoon season. The AIUDF delegation also discussed the issue of rehabilitation of the people displaced in the ethnic clashes in Bodoland Territorial Districts Area (BTAD).
