Fighting for survival
Assam strongman Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is now fighting hard to avert the danger of drifting into political oblivion.

LIFE takes different twists and turns. Prafulla Mahanta, once regarded the saviour of Assam is now struggling to make his presence felt. Once a strong political force, he is now fighting hard to avert the danger of into drifting into oblivion. Once a mass leader Mahanta is now looking for  sympathisers and friends. Beyond doubt, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, once strongman of Assam, is now going through the most turbulent phase of his political career. He has been sidelined within the party of which he was the one of the founder members. His attempted comeback met with a disaster when he lost to Brindabon Goswami for the party’s top post. Though Mr. Mahanta has been cleared of bigamy charges, the damage seems irreparable. “He is now being equated with the proverbial son of a rich man, who ate up his father’s wealth within years of inheritance,’’ an AGP leader on condition of unanimity said. So does this mean the end of road for Prafulla Mahanta? A difficult question indeed, especially as nothing is impossible in politics. But one thing is certain that Mr. Mahanta will have to use all his experiences to bail himself out from this crisis.

Prafulla Mahanta’s rise in politics was phenomenal to say the least. The student leader and the president of all-powerful All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) became the youngest Chief Minister of that time. The journey from AASU to Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), from a student leader to the post of the Chief Minister was almost like a fairytale. But, since then, it was always a bumpy ride for Mr. Mahanta. The menace of the United Liberation Front of Asom, infighting within the party, lack of development, rising unemployment, all combined together to ensure that Prafulla Mahanta is no angel and mere mortal. Prafulla Mahanta himself blames high expectations of the people as the main reason for his failure.

He is not ready to admit that certain policies went wrong during his stewardship. People expected everything overnight and it was simply impossible to please them, he argued. But his detractors argue that it is because of Mahanta that the party has lost its base in   Assam. He single-handedly  finished the AGP by indulging in infighting, systematically throwing out the leaders from the party who could become possible threat to him. Bhrigu Phukan, Dinesh Goswami, Atul Bora, Pulakesh Bora, the list is endless, they pointed out. Today if the people  feel that the AGP cannot provide good administration it is because Prafulla Mahanta indulged in nepotism and always gave  prefernces to his relatives and supporters, they argued.

So, where does actually Mr. Mahanta stands now? His isolation within  the AGP was complete when none of his supporters found a place in the newly formed executive committee of the party.  ‘’This is a cleansing process.  The common people wanted Mr. Mahanta to be out of AGP’s inner circle,’’ claimed a newly elected general secretary. One AGP leader argued that the cleansing process, which the AGP has launched by cornering Mahanta and his supporters, was nothing new in the party. Mr. Mahanta had earlier sidelined Bhrigu Phukan, his comrade since the days of Assam agitation. Mr. Phukan, who occupied the number two position in the first AGP government in Assam, was forced to quit the party in 1990. Dinesh Goswami, known as modern day Chanakya in Assam politics, was also forced to leave the party. These two were forced to leave the party at a time when there was a growing demand from within the party to change its leadership. Atul Bora, another senior minister in the Mahanta cabinet also met the same fate. Again, when Mr. Phukan rejoined the party, he was not allowed to speak in the Victory Rally in 1996, nor found a place in the ministry.

Today, if Mr. Mahanta finds him isolated it is because of his own deeds, and not because of the present day AGP leadership, a party leader said. Another general secretary Hitendra Nath Goswami pointed out that while selecting the executive body, only those who could devote more time to party affairs had been preferred. “We want the party’s ideology and political stand to be reflected among the public. It is more important than contesting and winning elections. Therefore, selection of the candidates had   been on the basis of their abilities,’’ Mr. Goswami asserted.

Mr. Goswami also said the AGP would not repeat its earlier mistake of confusing the Government with the party. “It is true that both Brindabon Goswami and Prafulla Mahanta are interested in leading the party. But Goswami’s election as president does not mean that the importance of the others have diminished,’’ he added. Once Mahanta loyalist and former speaker of Assam Assembly Ganesh Kutum has made a cautious remark on the latest developments. ’’Brindabon Goswami is the leader of the party now, and he is trying to bring in a new crop of leadership to run the party. We have to wait and watch the developments,’’ Mr. Kutum said.

But the Mahanta camp is virtually livid over the treatment meted out to the former chief minister. Sources close to Mr. Mahanta alleged that he lost the party’s presidential poll because the former party president was literally kept confined by the AASU-SULFA-ULFA combine, debarring him from attending public rallies and meetings. A strong wall had been erected between Mahanta and the party men and people of the state to pave to way for Goswami to make it home. Despite all these odds, Mr. Mahanta managed to secure 169 votes, which has proved that still he has a good hold on the party. ‘’Had the poll and pre-poll campaign been fair, Mahanta’s win was inevitable,’’ they claimed. AGP MLA Abdul Jabbar, known to be a Mahanta loyaist, said the new executive body of the AGP, seemed ‘’as though it is the NAGP of earlier years.

The only difference is earlier, the NAGP had not got the elephant symbol of the AGP, but this time they seem to be working under the symbol.’’ “We want everybody to work for the party, but after the Tezpur conclave, it seems that Brindabon Goswami and his followers have a one-point agenda: “Mahanta hatao,’’ Mr. Jabbar charged. Now the million dollar question is how successful will be the Mahanta Hatao move? Will Brandaban Goswami be able to regain the lost glory of the AGP? Do the people accept AGP sans Prafulla  Mahanta? “If the AGP leader sidelines his predecessor in the party, he may opt for joining the BJP as his relation with Deputy Prime Minister L. K Advani is very good,’’ a Mahanta supporter opined. Meanwhile Mr. Mahanta recent meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister has given giving birth to a fresh set of speculations over his political future. 

While AGP president Brindaban Goswami has played his card, the ball is now in Mr. Mahanta’s court. His recent silence clearly proves that Mr. Mahanta is waiting for the opportune moment to strike back.

Despite all sorts of allegations against him, it goes to the credit of Mr. Mahanta that he is still the most acceptable AGP leader. No AGP leader can match his popularity even today. The people might have rejected Mahanta, but he is still capable of making a comeback as he did in 1996. Surely, he is still not a spent  force.