Assam: New Aasu brass to take over in Oct-Nov

GUWAHATI: The new leadership of All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) will take charge in October-November, paving the way for the outgoing leaders to spearhead the political party that will take on the BJP in the 2021 assembly elections.
With preparations for the 17th conference of the students’ body already starting in the oil township of Duliajan, all eyes are on Aasu president Dipanka Kumar Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who are the most likely faces to lead the proposed political front.
The 16th conference of Aasu, held at Dudhnoi in lower Assam's Goalpara district in March 2015, witnessed elevation of Dipanka Kumar Nath and Lurinjyoti Gogoi as president and secretary of the students’ body, respectively. However, the upcoming 17th conference will be of paramount importance not only for Aasu, but also for other opposition parties. Many insiders believe the two Aasu leaders might take charge of the political party mulled by Aasu and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP).
"The 17th convention is most likely to be held in October. The reception committee for the upcoming conference, which is set to see a change in leadership in Aasu top brass, was constituted on Saturday. Considering the preparedness to float the new party and the timing of the 17th conference, the future course of action by the current president and general secretary of the Aasu will be crucial," said a central committee member of Aasu.
In the 16th conference of the student body at Dudhnoi, then president Sankar Prasad Rai and general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi left Aasu and joined electoral politics, donning the saffron cap.
Later, disgruntled with the BJP-AGP alliance, Rai switched over to Congress just before the 2016 assembly polls. Gogoi won from the Sonari constituency on a BJP ticket and was allotted the portfolio of minister of state (independent charge). Last year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha.
However this time, since Aasu has been at the loggerheads with BJP for quite a while due to differences over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and has also been critical of Congress, questioning the opposition party’s commitment to solve the foreigners’ issue, Aasu insiders said chances of the outgoing Aasu leaders joining their "own political party" is high.
Congress, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan-led Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM) have announced that they are ready to accept the political party mulled by Aasu-AJYCP to defeat the BJP-led coalition.
Aasu general secretary Gogoi told TOI on Sunday that a decision of the political party will be taken before the Duliajan conference. The 18-member panel named by Aasu and AJYCP with former Rajya Sabha member and Sahitya Akademi winning author Nagen Saikia and internationally acclaimed littereteur Arup Kumar Dutta as advisors have recently handed over their suggestions to the two organisations.
"We will soon make suggestions of the 18-member panel public and go ahead to implement them. The decision on the political party will also be taken based on the suggestions by the panel. All these will happen before the Duliajan conference," Gogoi said.
“We are hopeful that the 17th conference will give a dimension to Aasu’s plans to deal the socio-political issues politically. The personal-political ambitions won't matter. We are bound to follow the direction given by the students’ community,” he added.