GUWAHATI, March 18 � The tussle for power in the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) reached a dead end today with its working president Atul Bora, who is officiating as president-in-charge of the party, resolutely declining to comply with the request of the party�s elected president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to hand over charge by March 28.
Talking to this newspaper, Bora claimed that he was authorised by the general house of the party at its meeting held on July 15, 2014 to �discharge the duties of the party president� till the next general conference of the party as per the provision of Clause 29 (2) of the party�s constitution. This resolution of the general house was also ratified by the January 5, 2015 meeting of the general house.
But Mahanta has been misinterpreting these decisions of the general house before the Election Commission of India and also before the media only to fulfill his design to get hold of the reins of the party.
But the fact remains that Mahanta had put his signature on the respective resolutions of the general house meetings on the issue. Nowhere in the July 15 decision of the general house on the issue was it mentioned that �Mahanta would be on leave for six months�. Rather, the resolution had quite expressly stated that the working president would �discharge the responsibilities of party president till the next general conference of the party�.
Moreover, Mahanta has also been misinterpreting Clauses 28(2) B and 29(2) of the AGP constitution, Bora asserted.
On the contrary, sources close to Mahanta alleged that Bora has been trying to dupe the common people by misinterpreting the party constitution. They claimed that Mahanta had not put his signature on any of the resolutions of the general house meetings of July 15, 2014 and January 5, 2015 on the issue.
The general house at its meeting on July 15, 2014 had categorically stated in its �resolution (e) that the party organisations at all levels should be reconstituted to finally hold the general conference of the party within the next six months�, sources close to Mahanta claimed.
Significantly, it was also decided by the general house on July 15, 2014 that a political convention would be organised by the party on October 14, 2014 and it would be chaired by �party president Mahanta�.
Sources dared Bora to make public the documents available with him to substantiate his assertions.
Meanwhile, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said in a statement that for the sake of strengthening regionalism he is prepared to serve the AGP as its ordinary member. He is not hankering after power.
He said he wants the people of the new generations to come forward to �unite and strengthen the party�, in keeping with the demand of the situation. In this respect, he said he is prepared to make the �supreme sacrifice�.
