NEW DELHI, March 1 � Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi�s offer of hand of friendship has stumped the AIUDF, with party chief Badruddin Ajmal ruling out the possibility of an immediate alliance with the Congress party though he did not rule out future tie-up.
Reacting to the Chief Minister�s offer, Ajmal told newsmen that following internal discussions, AIUDF�s stand of going alone remains unchanged.
The AIUDF president said he was surprised by the �sudden offer�. �I cannot say about the future but as of now we are against any alliance with the Congress. But I am thankful to Gogoi because now he considers AIUDF as a secular, democratic front. Till now, he used to describe our party as a communal one,� he said.
Like Ajmal, Congressmen too have been taken aback by Gogoi�s sudden about turn on AIUDF. The Chief Minister has said that the Congress party had offered friendly contest with AIUDF in the future.
�AIUDF has decided to contest in all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and we are hopeful of winning at least six seats,� Ajmal said.
The change in stand was attributed to AIUDF�s turn of fortune in minority-dominated areas, where it has made inroad in Congress party�s support base.
Today it was the turn of Ajmal to accuse the Congress of unholy nexus with BJP and AGP. An upset Ajmal alleged that Congress party had a secret pact with BJP and AGP in the recent Algapur by-election. �The Congress party, which accuses us of being communal, played communal politics to the hilt in the election,� he alleged, denying any understanding with AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
