Assam student bodies form political party

GUWAHATI:

Published on: Sep 14, 2020, 23:33:20 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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GUWAHATI:

Two of Assam’s biggest student organisations, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), came together on Monday to formally announce the formation of a new political party, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), ahead of next year’s assembly elections.

The new regional party is among several outfits that have formally launched recently or are in the process of being formed. Both the AASU and the AJYCP had earlier formed a 16-member advisory committee of prominent personalities to suggest a way forward. Based on their suggestions, the decision to form a new political party “to secure the future of Assam and Assamese people” was taken.

“Work on our party begins from now. The organisation set up across all districts will be completed by October and the party’s state-level political convention will be held in November,” said Basanta Deka, former professor of Handique Girls College, one of the two convenors of the advisory committee.

He added that the new party will follow the slogan, “ghore ghore ami (we are in each household)” with the aim of reaching out to every house across Assam ahead of the next polls in the eastern state ruled by a coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

“The constitution of the party is nearly complete and its aims and ideologies would be unveiled at a later date. The party’s flag, symbol and office-bearers would be announced at the November convention,” said former Gauhati University professor Krishnagopal Bhattacharya, the other convenor.

This will be the second political party to be formed by leaders belonging to the AASU, after the AGP, which came into being in 1985 after the signing of the Assam Accord that ended the six-year-long anti-foreigner agitation that saw an active participation of both the AASU and the AJYCP.

Both these organisations spearheaded the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) stir in the state, opposing the Centre’s move to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan—which many in Assam feared would lead to large scale influx of Bangladeshis to the border state.

Activist Akhil Gogoi’s Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), another outfit that took part in the anti-CAA stir, has announced its plan to launch a political party.

Journalist-turned-politician Ajit Bhuyan, who became a Rajya Sabha MP earlier this year with support of Congress and the AIUDF, too has floated an outfit called Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). Lawyer Arun Borbora launched the United Regional Party, Assam, last month.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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