Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Doctoral Thesis Factional Politics in Assam: A Study on the Asom Gana Parishad Dipak Kumar Sarma Registration No. 09614110 Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the discipline of Political Science Supervisors: Prof. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed & Prof. Archana Barua Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati-781039, Assam, India August, 2017 Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Guwahati - 781039 Assam, India Declaration I hereby declare that the thesis entitled “Factional Politics in Assam: A study on the Asom Gana Parishad” , is the outcome of my research duly carried out in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, under the joint supervision of Prof. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed and Prof. Archana Barua. The academic investigations and reporting of the scientific observations are in conformity with the general norms and standard of research. This thesis or any part of it has not been submitted to any other University/Institute or elsewhere for the award of any other degree or diploma. IIT Guwahati (Dipak Kumar Sarma) Date: August, 2017 Research Scholar TH-1788_09614110 Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Guwahati - 781039 Assam, India Certificate This is to certify that Mr. Dipak Kumar Sarma has prepared the thesis entitled “Factional Politics in Assam: A study on the Asom Gana Parishad” for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. The thesis embodies record of research work conducted under our supervision in strict conformity with the rules laid down for the purpose. The present thesis or any part thereof has not been submitted to any other University/Institute for award of any other degree or diploma. All the assistance received by the researcher has been duly acknowledged. Prof. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed Prof. Archana Barua Supervisor Supervisor TH-1788_09614110 Factional Politics in Assam: A study on the Asom Gana Parishad Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge with a sense of profound gratitude to a number of persons for their kind help, support and motivation during the entire journey of work on the topic of research leading to the final stage of submission of the thesis. At the outset, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to my thesis supervisors Prof. Archana Barua and Prof. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed for their continuous support and faith in my ability. Specially, Prof. Ahmed with his vast experience and knowledge in the field was the guiding spirit and idol for me. I feel fortunate to work with him. Prof. Barua was also very kind and guided me to overcome all the hurdles during the course of my research. The present work would not have materialized into reality without their encouragement and able guidance. Besides my supervisors, I would like to thank all the Doctoral Committee members: Dr. Sukanya Sharma, Dr. V. Prabhu and Dr. Sawmya Ray for their insightful comments and suggestions. I sincerely express my gratitude to them. I will cherish in my heart the sincere attempt of respected faculty members of the Department, Dr. Arupjyoti Saikia and Dr. Sambit Mallick, who taught me during the course work to have a critical outlook of social issues. I am grateful to Dr. Pahi Saikia, Dr. Debarshi Das and Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Jha also for their valuable suggestions for improvement in my research. The entire faculty members and staff of the Department with whom I had opportunity to interact were source of inspiration for me. I am thankful to the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati as a whole for extending academic and other institutional support for my research. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the support and help of the leaders, office bearers and members of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). Atul Bora, the present president of the AGP was kind enough to allow me to look into various party documents and proceeding etc at the party headquarter at Ambari, Guwahati. I am indebted to other leaders of the party like Brindaban Goswami, Pradip Hazarika, Kamala Kalita, Pabindra Deka, Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Alaka Sarma, Rekharani i TH-1788_09614110 Factional Politics in Assam: A study on the Asom Gana Parishad Das Bodo, Nurul Hussain, Thaneswar Bodo, Biraj Kumar Sarma, Gunin Hazarika and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta for their cooperation during interviews. Interactions with former AGP leaders like Atul Bora (Sr.), Hitendra Nath Goswami, Zoii Nath Sarma and Pulakesh Barua were extremely helpful. Haren Sheel, the present Office Secretary of the AGP extended help in number of occasions. I am indebted to Prof. Hiren Gohain, Prof. Anuradha Dutta, Prof. Krishna Gopal Bhattacharyya, Dr. Nagen Saikia and Mr. Amiya Kumar Handique for igniting my mind with new ideas. I had the privilege to have access to the resources of quite a good number of libraries and grateful for the invaluable service of the staff members. Mentions may be made of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Krishna Kanta Handique Library of the Gauhati University; Lakshmi Nath Bezbaruah Library of the Dibrugarh University, Library of the Indian Council of Historical Research-North-East Regional Center, Guwahati; Library of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Guwahati; Library of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Assam and the Central Library of Dhakuakhana College. I must thank Dr. Jugananda Sut, Principal of Dhakuakhana College and my colleagues in Dhakuakhana College: Birender Pal, Pankaj Bora, Lohit Morang, Rinku Hazarika, Niranjan Das, Sonit Bhuyan, and many others who constantly inspired me for an impactful research. My bosom friends Umananda Kalita and Utpal Saikia were always with me in all thick and thin of my life. Particular thank goes to Mouchumi- my life companion, for her infallible love and support during my stressful moments. My two year old baby Abhigna with her childlike innocence always reminded me of my social responsibilities. At the end, I would like to acknowledge the help and cooperation of many others who will go unnamed because of inadequacy of space. It goes without saying that I alone bear the responsibility of any inadvertent factual errors and unwarranted comments that might have crept in the text of the thesis. IIT Guwahati Dipak Kumar Sarma August, 2017 Research Scholar ii TH-1788_09614110 Factional Politics in Assam: A study on the Asom Gana Parishad Abstract Study of factional politics is very much rewarding for better understanding of political force in operation in a democratic society. Factionalism does not operate in vacuum; it is a reflection of the socio-political environment in which the political party functions. Factionalism may occur due to ideological drift or for personality clash among the top leaders. It has both integrative and disintegrative implications. Occasionally, it widens the support base of the party, when it is cooperative and competitive in nature. However, degenerative type of factionalism is bane for the political party even may lead to split in extreme condition. Political leaders are the key actors in factional politics. The leader and his followers form a separate clique within the party organization in order to pursue distinct political aims; not satisfied within the existing apparatus of the party. In India, factionalism is an order of the day in the political parties. It has added to the mushrooming growth of political parties in the country. Factionalism in Indian party system had drawn attention of scholars like Salig Harrison, Morris Jones, Myron Weiner, Paul R Brass and others. Through their research various socio- political dynamics of Indian party system could be established. Impact of caste- community factor in factional politics was also documented in few states like in the Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. But the dynamics of factionalism in a regional political party operating in a multi-ethnic society is not addressed till now. This research based on a case study of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is a humble attempt to bridge the gap in study of factionalism in India. The study is based on interview method and non-participant observation of the political affairs in the AGP. Content analysis of the specific reports, government documents, party papers and party proceedings has proved beneficial for this study. The AGP was the first regional political party in north-east India to capture power independently in 1985. It was an offshoot of the Assam movement that ran for six years since 1979 in Assam. The AGP carried over the legacies of the iii TH-1788_09614110 Factional Politics in Assam: A study on the Asom Gana Parishad movement and was expected to materialize the objectives of the movement. But, very soon the new regional political party plunged into factionalism and could not ensure development to all section of people. Therefore, an attempt has been made to understand the role of factionalism in this regional political party and its impact on political process and social dynamics in Assam. Within a span of twenty years, the AGP faced vertical split thrice which degenerated its position in state politics. The study covers the trajectory of factional politics in the AGP since its inception. Factionalism in the AGP was degenerative and it brought crisis to the regional political forces in Assam. Factionalism in the AGP hindered formation of an inclusive Assamese society based on a common identity that led to disillusionment of various ethnic communities. Sub-regional issues and demands put by the tribal communities was a major factor of factionalism in the AGP. Besides, powerful civil society organizations and state actors operating in Assam created a gap among party leaders too.