Mahanta opposes AGP's alliance with BJP, asks party leaders to reconsider

Former Chief Minister and Asom Gana Parishad founder-president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta Wednesday opposed the alliance of his party with the BJP, saying he only came to know about it from the media and asked party leaders to reconsider the decision.

"I am opposed to this alliance as AGP being a regional party should have contested the Lok Sabha polls with the aim to keep its regional character intact," Mahanta told reporters here.

The party leadership should have called for a general meeting and acted according to the decision taken there, he said.

"I still hope that they will reconsider this decision and discuss the matter with the party members," Mahanta said.

The former chief minister said the decision to oppose the alliance was on several grounds.

"During the campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that after May 2014, all Bangladeshis will have to pack their bags and leave the country but after elections it was seen that Assam's land was given ..