AGP responsible for not forming alliance with BJP: Patowary

BJP leader Chandra Mohan Patowary today charged Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) for failing to form an alliance between the two parties for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Assam like the previous polls.
Patowary, the former president of AGP, had last week joined BJP.
"When I was in AGP, I was told by my former colleague and now a BJP leader Atul Bora to initiate talks for an alliance. I went to Delhi and spoke to Rajnath Singh. However, AGP President Prafulla Mahanta said I did not have any authority," he told reporters here.
"Mahanta said I was talking to Singh on my behalf, not for the party. AGP did not have any seriousness for the alliance... (But) BJP was very serious to have a tie up... AGP should have come for the alliance," he added.

In 2009, BJP fought Lok Sabha elections in Assam in partnership with AGP and the association continued during the Assam Assembly elections in 2011.
Asked if any break-up of its association with AGP will affect BJP, Patowary said, "People of Assam, along with people of the country, want a change and BJP is that change. A non-Congress government is needed under the leadership of Narendra Modi."

The BJP leader also said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not done anything good for Assam despite being elected repeatedly to Rajya Sabha from the state.
On his poll prospects, Patowary, contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections from Barpeta constituency in Assam, said, "I will not do any mean and shallow politics. I will go to the people and tell them that for a change in India, we need a BJP government."

Today, 21 local units of AGP from Nalbari district joined BJP at the party's state head office here.