Ali Akabar and Abdul Jabbar expeled by AGP

AGP steering committee expels Mian, Jabbar
Summons await Mahanta, Phukan for explanation
GUWAHATI, Jan 11: The two ‘architects’ of regional politics in Assam and AGP leaders, former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Home Minister Bhrigu Kumar Phukan will be summoned by the all- powerful steering committee of the party to explain as to why they had made party matters public by declaring a veitable war on the party leadership. The decision was taken during the noisy steering committee meeting of the party, which began at 9 p.m. yesterday and had to be suspended at 4 this morning, when the committee members had almost polarized on the crucial issue of ‘action against Mahanta-Phukan’, and failed to take any concrete decision. The steering committee, however, expelled the two controversial party legislators, Ali Akbar Mian and Abdul Jabbar from the party.

According to sources, while some of the steering committee members favoured stern action against Mahanta and Phukan for their public outbursts against the party leadership, others cautioned them that any stern action against the duo might lead the party to a split, which might cost the party very dearly in the ensuing Assembly elections slated for 2006. During the noisy debate, the group, which was against any action on the duo, said that going tough against Mahanta and Phukan, that too at a time when the Nagaon District AGP Committee, Barhampur and Dispur LAC committees of the party were putting pressure on the party leadership to withdraw all disciplinary actions against Mahanta, would push the party towards ‘disintegration’, and in that case, it would be impossible for the party and its leadership to keep the house in order before the Assembly polls. "Any stern step against Mahanta-Phukan will be disastrous for the party," sources quoted some of the steering committee members as saying. When the steering committee failed to take any concrete decision on action against the AGP heavyweights, the meeting had to be suspended for the day with the decision that the former Chief Minister and the former Home Minister should be summoned by it and asked them to explain their views directly to it. The inconclusive steering committee meeting would be resumed only after hearing the views of Mahanta and Phukan by the committee, sources said, adding that the meeting would be resumed most likely on January 18.

Sources, however, said that Mahanta and Phukan might defy the summons to be issued to them by the steering committee.

Earlier, the 12-member committee comprising the party president, convenor Birendra Prasad Baishya, general secretaries Chandra Mohan Patowary, Phani Bhusan Choudhury, Dilip Kumar Saikia, Hitendra Nath Goswami, members Nurul Hussain, Jagadish Bhuyan, Prabin Gogoi and Joseph Toppo, expelled two party legislators, Ali Akbar Mian and Abdul Jabbar for their ‘anti-party’ activities. Eleven of the 12-member committee (Thaneswar Boro was absent) were of the opinion that Mian and Jabbar, who had been suspended for defying the party whip during the last Rajya Sabha elections, instead of rectifying themselves and tendering their apology to the party leadership, had gone for anti-AGP activities during the last Lok Sabha elections.

Ali Akbar said that he would move the court against the decision of the AGP steering committee. He said that he had filed a petition in the court at the time of his suspension from the party along with Jabbar, and that the case was yet to be disposed of. "How can the steering committee take a decision on a sub-judice matter?" he questioned.

Both Ali Akbar and Jabbar said that the AGP had no future under Goswami . It is too be noted that Mr Goswami is brahmin .

It may be mentioned here that the deadline set by the Dispur LAC AGP committee for the party leadership to withdraw all disciplinary actions against Mahanta will expire on January 15.