Gogoi hints at truck with Left parties

By Our Special Correspondent

GUWAHATI, DEC. 31. The Assam Congress chief, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, hinted today that there would be a change in the alignment of political parties in Assam before the Assembly elections next year, with the two Communist parties coming close to the Congress and the AGP and BJP forming an electoral alliance.

Addressing mediapersons here, he said he was not ruling out the possibility of an electoral understanding with the CPI and CPI(M). The two parties are now in the four-party ruling alliance led by the AGP.

Mr. Gogoi said he would welcome an alliance with the Left. ``We have hinted this to the two Left parties and the hint has already reached them,'' he said. But he parried a question whether the Left had responded to the feeler.

He said the Congress had not put any condition to the Left parties as to when they should part company with the AGP. ``That is for them to decide,'' he said.

Mr. Gogoi also asserted that despite the AGP and the BJP denying any possibility of a poll alliance, the two parties had already reached a ``secret understanding'' in this regard and the State Governor, Mr. S. K. Sinha had played a ``crucial role'' in forging this alliance.

As proof, he said though the AGP had earlier strongly condemned the demolition of the Babri Masjid, in the recent voting in Parliament on the temple issue, the two Rajya Sabha members of AGP had voted against the Congress motion and sided with the NDA.

Also, while the BJP president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman has strongly criticised the AGP Government for its ``criminal failure'' to protect the life and property of the people, his own party leader and Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, has given a clean chit to Mr. Mahanta.

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