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BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary to join Bharatiya Janata Party soon?

BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary to join Bharatiya Janata Party soon?

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By Devabrata Dutta

GUWAHATI: Despite denial from the Congress-led grand-alliance, speculations regarding the exit of Bodoland People's Front (BPF) from the opposition are gaining more and more traction with each passing day. Sources have confirmed that the BPF leaders are in talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the hope of getting back to power both in the council and the state Assembly.

If sources are to be believed, BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary wants refuge under the saffron banner party once again after his party's poor performance in the last Assembly Election. Despite being the single largest party after grabbing 17 seats in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election, it was foiled from forming the Council by the BJP and its ally UPPL.

Rihon Daimary, who was a part of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's cabinet, is also very enthusiastically trying to rebuild BPF's nexus with BJP after the four-times MLA suffered a massive jolt after failing to hold onto his own constituency of Udalguri.

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When BPF chief Mohilary reached Guwahati on June 25 and met chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with his party MLAs and MCLAs to make a donation of Rs. 25,00,000 for the CM's Relief Fund, Mohilary reportedly put forth a proposal to CM Sarma to let the BPF join again the NDA before the Assembly by-polls.

According to highly-placed sources, while the BPF leaders want to join the saffron alliance before the by-polls to save the party, the BJP has proposed that BPF leaders should wear saffron robes; this merger will undoubtedly erase the existence of the latter which has been a force to be reckoned with in the BTR.

Intriguingly, a day later, the BPF leaders skipped a joint press conference of the Congress-led grand alliance in Guwahati.

On being asked Congress chief Ripun Bora justified that BPF could not reach the press meet due to ongoing COVID restrictions on inter-district movement.

Which raises the question: when Mohilary can meet the chief minister despite the imposition of night curfew, what stopped him from joining the joint grand alliance press conference that took place during non-curfew hours? It certainly seems to be suggestive of a growing rift between the BPF and Congress parties.

On asked by InsideNE, Congress also justified sending committees comprising of their own members to take political stock of Gossaigaon and Tamulpur constituencies, where BPF fieled candidates in last assembly election, ahead of by-polls.

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"Congress has a base in those areas as well hence we are taking stock as a part of grand-alliance. It does not imply that Congress will field their own candidates," said APCC president Ripun Bora, justifying the party's move.

It needs mention here that BJP has a reputation of destroying regional forces by joining hands with them first before going on to try and keep them in its grasp by any necessary means.

On the other hand, if we look at the political character of BPF, the party always wants to be on the side of the party in power irrespective of their ideology. Mohilary himself has accepted these claims. BPF was with Congress for many years when it was in power and shifted its loyalty to BJP before the 2016 polls and came back with Congress again in the last assembly polls.

Even though BPF is out of power for the first time, in 17 years of its existence, BPF and Mohilary's dominance among the Bodo community of Assam has not diminished.

BJP, on the other hand, helped strengthen another Bodoland-based regional party, the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), and joined hands with them leaving BPF before the Bodoland Territorial Council Election. The UPPL party, it may be argued, seems more loyal to BJP than BPF and Mohilary ever will be from a purely political point of view.

Highly-placed sources have informed that the BJP has put forth a proposal to the BPF and to its chief Hagrama Mohilary to join the saffron party individually instead of aligning as parties.

Hence, if BPF leaders decide to join BJP, they will be joining as BJP members instead of being a part of the ruling alliance as a separate constituent as the UPPL, the ruling party of BTR, is already on board to represent the Bodo community.

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Sources said that this was definitely not foreseen by the BPF and has apparently put them in a dilemma to make a choice between 'power' and 'existence.'

Though BJP surely keeps their promises to 'rehabilitate' the members migrated from other parties, a decision to leave BPF completely might be the last nail in the coffin for the leaders and could see the UPPL becoming the only dominant party in the Bodo-dominated region of Assam.

Though InsideNE has tried to contact Hagrama Mohilary to confirm these claims, no response has been received from Mohilary till the time this report was filed.

Considering the past strong bond between Hagrama Mohilary and present CM Himanta Biswa, who played a significant role alongside then Congress CM late Tarun Gogoi in the formation of BTC in the year 2003, the probability of saffronisation of the BPF seemed like a possible route hard to deny.

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Edited By: Admin
Published On: Jun 28, 2021