Date:05/12/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/05/stories/2005120515891100.htm

National

Regional parties meet to garner support for AGP

Special Correspondent

Guwahati: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday said his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and like-minded regional parties would extend all help to strengthen the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) as it was the only alternative to the Congress in Assam.

Mr. Naidu arrived here with five TDP MPs for a brainstorming session with leaders of seven regional parties to be held here on Monday. Addressing a joint press conference with leaders of the National Conference, AGP and the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr. Naidu expressed confidence the AGP would come back to power as it had been doing "very well" in the recent past and was able to garner support from all sections of society.

Apart from the coordination meeting, the leaders will also address a public rally being organised by the AGP to kick off a campaign in favour of the regional party in Assam.

The Assembly elections in the State are due in May next year.

Asked if he would try for a rapprochement between the AGP and its breakaway faction, AGP (Progressive) led by former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Mr. Naidu said he had come to Assam to for strengthen the AGP and not any individual.

Stressing the need for consolidation of regional forces, Mr. Naidu said the regional parties during their rule in various States had established that they did better work than national parties.

When it was pointed out that regional parties including the TDP and the AGP had lost the mandate of the people, Mr. Naidu attributed the defeat to "anti-incumbency and several other factors." He insisted that the regional party-led governments always performed better.

Echoing Mr. Naidu, National Conference general secretary Abdu Rashid Saheen, Akali Dal general secretary Omkar Singh Thapar and AGP president Brindaban Goswami said regional parties had come to dominate Indian politics and would continue to do so.

The leaders of all the four regional parties expressed their belief that only the emergence of strong States would contribute to a stronger India and stressed the need for mobilising opinion in support of the federal structure and more powers to the States.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and other leaders of the ruling Nagaland People's Front (NPF), Mizoram Education Minister R. Lalthangliana and leaders of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) are scheduled to join Mr. Naidu and the others here on Monday to formulate a course of action for bringing regional parties together on a common platform.

Earlier, Mr. Naidu and the TDP delegation along with leaders of the National Conference and the Shiromoni Akali Dal were given a rousing reception at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi international airport and escorted to the venue in a huge procession on motorbike and cars by more than 1500 AGP workers.