BPF parts way with Congress, ends eight year old alliance

GUWAHATI: Woes of beleaguered Congress is compounding in Assam as its eight-year-old ally Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) has decided to snap ties and withdraw its ministers from the government.

While there is no threat to government as Congress has the numbers, however it hints at new political equations where BPF is inching closer to BJP. The equation will be one, which will assist BJP to capture Dispur in 2016 assembly polls.

Leader of BPF Hangrama Mohilary on Thursday announced that BPF has decided to pullout of government and walk out of the Congress led coalition government. "Fund allocation is not proportionate to the population. The present Congress government has not cooperated at all with us in all round development of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD). There is no point in continuing in this government if we cannot fulfill the aspirations of the Bodo people."

Ties between BPF and Congress strained after communal clash broke out between Bengali speaking Muslim and Bodo in Bodoland which killed over 45 people. Several Congress leaders openly sought snapping of ties with BPF. BPF is ruling the sixth scheduled area BTAD.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who has been staunch supporter of alliance with BPF recently has stated that he will not mind if BPF walks out of government. "I will be happy if they (BPF) go away. why should I stop someone who does not want to stay."

BPF has 12 members at present out of 126 in the state Assembly. BPF has one minister and two parliamentary secretaries in the present government. Chandan Brahma is the minister with the portfolios of Transport, Tourism and Welfare of Plain Tribes.

BPF had joined the Congress led coalition in 2006 and supported the Congress in crucial second consecutive term. Congress than had 56 MLAs and BPF with 11 MLAs led to formation of Congress led coalition government.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, General Secretary, Horen Das told ET, "We have anticipated this as Hangrama had said that he will always be on the right side of the ruling party and with BJP in power in Centre, this was expected. We have followed the alliance dharma since 2006. However BPF has been unfriendly to us despite we giving them ministerial berths in successive governments. They have put candidates against us in Mangaldoi seat both in 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls whereas we did not contest Kokrajhar seat and left the same for them despite stiff pressure from our workers there."

He added, "We are not happy with development. But it is good for the party as we will re-organise in Bodoland area.