History
AGP was a result of a six-year-long civil unrest in Assam, known as The Assam Agitation, led by All Assam Students' Union, [10] Due to illegal infiltration of foreigners from Bangladesh into the state Assam citizens had raised concerns about illegal infiltration of migrants from neighboring Bangladesh (East Pakistan until 1972), as they feared that it is altering the demographic, social and economic make-up of the state.
In 1979, AASU led what started as a nonviolent campaign to highlight illegal immigration into the state, but later descended into violence. The AASU, joined by the AGSP demanded detection and disenfranchisement of all illegal migrants in the state, and deportation of all immigrants entering the country from 1951 on under the laws of the land. One of the most serious outcomes of the ethnic violence that ensued came to be known as the Nellie massacre when anti-immigrant groups attacked and killed at least 2,000 Muslim, Bengali immigrants. [11] The agitation lasted from 1979 to 1985, and caused tension and hostility during the assembly Election in 1983.
AASU then constituted the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) which consisted of representatives of various organizations including the Asom Sahitya Sabha, two regional political parties – Asom Jatiyabadi Dal and Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad, the Sadau Asom Karmachari Parishad, Asom Jatiyabadi Yuva-Chatra Parishad, Asom Yuvak Samaj, All Assam Central and semi-Central Employees’ Association etc.
Several rounds of discussions with successive governments in New Delhi. The accord was signed between the government, represented by prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and representatives of the AASU.
The State Assembly was then dissolved and the Congress government headed by Hiteswar Saikia, who came to power in February 1983, was dismissed.
The Golaghat National Convention, held in Golaghat on 13–14 October 1985 determined that a regional political party similar to Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) should be formed and the Asom Gana Parishad was launched in Golaghat on 14 October 1985.
The central executive committee of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) had been dissolved at a convention in North Lakhimpur in September, and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the president of the AASU, was elected the president of the presidium of the new political party. Asom Jatiyabadi Dal and the Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad also merged with AGP. Members from other organizations joined the party.
The AGP contested the State Assembly elections held in December 1985 and swept the polls by winning 67 of the 126 seatsin addition to capturing seven of the 14 Lok Sabha (Parliament) seats thus forming the Government of Assam. The party won the election and formed a government again in 1996.
Party leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta served as the Chief Minister of Assam for two terms, first from 1985 to 1990 and again from 1996 to 2001. Asom Gana Parishad was a part of the National Front government from December 1989 to November 1990.
AGP Member of Parliament Dinesh Goswami was the Union Minister of Law and Justice in the V. P. Singh Ministry. The party also took part in the United Front governments headed by H. D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral. Party leaders Birendra Prasad Baishya and Muhi Ram Saikia took office as Union Minister of Steel and Mines and the Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development respectively in the United Front governments.
The party began losing ground in the 2010s; from 67 seats in the assembly in 1985 and 59 in 1996, the AGP's strength in the assembly came down to 14 seats in 2016. [12] Once a formidable force, it has been sidelined by the Bodoland People's Front and the AIUDF of Badruddin Ajmal. Currently, the party has only 9 M.L.A in the Legislative Assembly of Assam.AGP was criticised by AASU for supporting CAA in 2019. [12]
Internal splits and mergers
The AGP in March 1991 underwent a split when party general secretary and former Assam Home Minister Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, former Union Law Minister and MP Dinesh Goswami, former state Education Minister Brindaban Goswami, Assam Legislative Assembly speaker Pulakesh Barua and others formed the Natun Asom Gana Parishad (natun means new in Assamese). This fraction came back to the party fold in 1992.
In 2000, former Assam PWD minister and senior party leader Atul Bora (Senior) moved away along with Pulakesh Barua and formed Trinamool Gana Parishad.
After the second AGP Government's reign under Prafulla Kumar Mahanta came to an end and Congress regained power, numerous allegations were raised against him related to the corruption during his tenure, government's involvement in secret killings, and Mahanta's overall inactive leadership. These led to his demotion from being President of the party and later he was expelled from the party on 3 July 2005 after being accused of anti-party activities. Mahanta then formed his own party, Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive).
In 2008, a process started to reconcile the differences among all the breakaway fractions and to bring back everybody under the mother party umbrella to strengthen the regional party movement in Assam. Finally, on 14 October 2008, all breakaway groups reconciled in one umbrella at the historic town Golaghat. Prafulla Mahanta merged his AGP(P) with it. Atul Bora and Pulakesh Barua merged their TGP with the AGP and farmer leader and former legislator of Patacharkuchi, Pabindra Deka too merged the Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad (PLP) with it.
Splits from AGP
In 2011, firebrand youth leader Sarbananda Sonowal resigned from all executive posts within AGP and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, due to dissatisfaction with and amongst the senior leadership of the party who were trying to forge an alliance with a party that was against the scrapping of the controversial IMDT Act. "The AGP was born out of the illegal foreigners' issue after the six-year-long Assam agitation; 855 people laid down their lives in the agitation. However, the party has failed to honor the sacrifice of the martyrs by deviating from its principles. But I have no grievances against the dedicated grassroots-level workers. Since the AGP has failed to tackle the illegal migrants' problem, I've joined the BJP keeping in mind the interest of the people of Assam and the fact that I'll be able to highlight the problems and issues of the state at the national level," Sonowal, the former AGP general secretary, said.
On 8 February 2011, Sonowal joined Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of the then BJP National President Nitin Gadkari and senior leaders like Varun Gandhi, Vijay Goel, Bijoya Chakravarty and state BJP president Ranjit Dutta. He was immediately appointed a member of the BJP National Executive and then later on State Spokesperson of the state BJP unit, prior to his current assignment to head the state as the new president.
Again on 3 July 2013, senior party leader Atul Bora once again left the party and joined BJP.
