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Fighting CAA in Court, Sharing Power in Govt – Where Does AGP Really Stand?

By AT News |

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) loves to wear the mantle of regionalism. It proudly recalls its birth from the Assam Agitation and the sacrifices of 855 martyrs. Yet every fresh controversy over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) exposes the party for what it has become: a political outfit addicted to power, reduced to theatrics whenever Assamese identity is threatened.

The script is depressingly familiar. In 2019, when CAA protests shook Assam, AGP staged a high-decibel drama—ministers resigned, alliance with the BJP was declared broken, the party promised to stand with the people. Two months later, under the cover of midnight negotiations, AGP crawled back into power, its leaders reclaiming their ministries as if nothing had happened. That act alone shredded the party’s moral standing.

Today, history repeats itself. The BJP-led Centre has issued a new order exempting migrants and foreigners—an act many believe strikes at the very heart of the Assam Accord. AGP leaders have called press conferences, made fiery statements, and promised to challenge the order in the Supreme Court. But when asked whether their ministers will resign or whether they will confront the BJP within the NDA forum, they had no answers. Instead, they deflected blame onto the Congress, hoping to change the subject.

This is not strategy—it is hypocrisy. AGP cannot, on one hand, file petitions against the CAA and its offshoots, and on the other hand, cling to the trappings of power in Dispur and Delhi. Such doublespeak reduces the party to a caricature: rebels on the streets, loyalists in the cabinet.

For many Assamese, AGP has long ceased to be the guardian of regional aspirations. It is now seen as a private company run by a handful of leaders who use the party’s legacy to mask their personal interests. Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta enjoy their ministerial perks, while the larger cause of Assamese identity is sacrificed at the altar of coalition politics.

The party insists it is fighting for the Assam Accord. But the question Assamese people must ask is simple: if AGP truly believes the new order destroys the spirit of the Accord, why is it still sitting in government with the very forces issuing that order?

Until AGP answers this, every press conference and every court petition will look less like a fight for Assam and more like another act in a long-running political drama—one that the people are increasingly tired of watching.

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Assam Times Staff. editor@assamtimes.org
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