Want Mamata Didi as India’s second woman PM, should lead battle against BJP: Akhil Gogoi

Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi tells ThePrint in an exclusive interview his party has floated the idea of an electoral alliance with Trinamool in Assam.

File photos of Mamata Banerjee and Akhil Gogoi | ANI

Kolkata: Regional party leaders, especially those from indigenous ethnic groups in eastern and northeastern states, want to see Mamata Banerjee as India’s “second woman prime minister”, said Akhil Gogoi, chief of the Raijor Dal in Assam.

Talking exclusively to The Print, Gogoi, a prominent peasant leader in Assam, said Mamata Banerjee has proposed a “merger” of the Trinamool and Raijor Dal in Assam. However, Gogoi said his party has rejected the “merger” and has, instead, floated the idea of an electoral alliance with Mamata Banerjee’s party in Assam.

Gogoi had been jailed for over two years between December 2019 and June 2021 and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his protest against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA). The Raijor Dal was formed in 2020 and Gogoi went on to contest the 2021 Assam assembly election from prison, becoming the lone MLA of his party. He was released in July this year, after a special NIA court cleared him of all charges under the UAPA.

According to Gogoi, the Bengal chief minister has met him at least thrice in the past one-and-a-half months in Kolkata. The “crucial” meetings were also attended by Abhishek Banerjee, the CM’s nephew and Trinamool national general secretary, and the party’s political strategist Prashant Kishor, said Gogoi. He also described the meetings as “warm” and “positive”.

Gogoi and Banerjee, however, continue to differ on the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

“We are yet to take a call on what kind of association we would have with the Trinamool Congress in future in Assam. But, I think, it would work better if we agree on a political understanding. The regional forces should join hands against Modi-Shah’s Facist government. And we all want Mamata Didi to lead the battle,” Gogoi said.

Banerjee has been taking an active interest in forging a unified opposition against the BJP since the Trinamool’s recent victory over the national party in this year’s assembly election. On a visit to Delhi last month, the Bengal CM met opposition leaders from across party lines, including Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

Banerjee has also been negotiating possible alliances with other leaders from the northeast, such as Tripura’s Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, in an effort to take the TMC beyond Bengal.

‘NRC needed in Assam’

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has opposed the implementation of the NRC tooth and nail since the beginning of the process in Assam and termed it an act of “divisive politics”.

However, Gogoi and his party support the NRC as he believes it will help solve the state’s migration issue.

“Didi is opposed to the implementation of NRC nationally. We want NRC for Assam, because there is a history behind the movement demanding the NRC,” he said.

“I understand Didi’s reasons for opposing it. But one must consider Assam’s situation, which is really complex. The political scene in Bengal is different. So, NRC might not be needed there, but for Assam, it is a must. Each and every ethnic group and political party in the state has supported NRC,” he added.

The NRC is aimed at identifying and deporting those who immigrated ‘illegally’ from Bangladesh, keeping 24 March 1971 as the cut off date. This has been a long-standing demand in Assam, where people have harboured resentment against ‘outsiders’ for eating into their share of resources and benefits.

Gogoi and Banerjee are, however, both opposed to the Citizenship Amendment ACT (CAA). Under the CAA people from six religions — Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian — who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be granted citizenship, if they arrived in India before 31 December 2014.

‘Undecided on structure of association’

Explaining why he has not yet decided on the probable association with Mamata Banerjee’s party, Gogoi said, “Assam has 135 ethnic groups and all groups have their own association or political parties. Merging with a Bengali party from a neighbouring state may send a wrong message to people. So, we are still undecided on the structure of the association. But we have proposed an alliance. This will help both the parties,” he added.

Gogoi said that he has again been called to Kolkata for meetings and further discussions on the proposal.

“I have always been very warmly received and patiently heard by Didi. She is a really strong politician and has ears to listen to others. I will be happy to see her as the Prime Minister of the country. She will surely think about the neglected people of north-eastern states. I have again been called for meetings. I will schedule it soon. Currently, I am occupied with some work in my constituency,” he said.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)