If party asks may contest Lok Sabha election in Silchar: Kamalaksha Dey Purkayastha

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: If the party leadership instructs and the local leaders of Cachar endorse it, then Kamalakha Dey Purkayastha would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Silchar constituency. Three times MLA of North Karimganj as well as the working president of state Congress Purkayastha informed The Sentinel. Speaking to this correspondent, Purkayastha said, right now he had no interest to shift himself to Silchar as he had no ambition of becoming MP. However, if the party's high command desires so, then he had to abide by the decision. However, at any cost, he would not contest if the local leaders of Silchar Congress had any opposition to his candidature.

After former MP Susmita Dev quit the party, Silchar Congress, at present, had no presentable and strong leader who could pose a fight against the mighty BJP. Kamalakha Dey Purkayastha had meticulously nurtured himself as the face of the Bengalis, both in the Assembly as well as outside the House. Assembly proceedings suggested that Purkayastha was the only MLA from Barak Valley who had constantly been voicing the anguish and aspirations of this Bengali dominated region. Further Purkayastha had considerable followers among the Muslims. At present Kamalakha was the only Bengali Hindu MLA in the state legislature from Congress.

Against this backdrop, Purkayastha seemed to be a strong contender for the Silchar Lok Sabha seat. Though he reiterated that he had no interest for Lok Sabha berth, but his recent activities indicated an opposite planning. Purkayastha, being the working president of APCC was instrumental in making Tamal Kanti Banik as the interim president of the trouble-torn Cachar district Congress. This had infuriated a section of Congressmen who found the move as a mark of intrusion by Purkayastha in Silchar politics. On the other hand, Purkayastha was seen visibly vocal in the Assembly regarding the recent flood in Silchar. He even raised the issue of detaining the Principal of Cachar College by Silchar police. No other MLA from Cachar raised these issues on the floor.

Purkayastha however seemed to play safe as he said, district Congress, at first, should not have any reservation about the candidate. Contesting an election was basically a team game, maintaining this Purkayastha said, candidate should be nominated taking the local leaders in confidence.

Further, he said, Silchar LS seat is a vast area covering seven Assembly segments and the prospective candidate should be given sufficient time to communicate with the people as well as creating bondage with the grassroot level workers of the party. Party high command should remember that whoever might be the candidate, he or she would be first time contender in Silchar turf and hence the selection of the candidate should be done as early as possible.

Susmita Dev, who quit Congress to join the TMC, however believed that Kamalakha had no chance of becoming the party candidate in Silchar. Even former Minister Gautam Roy, who was a heavyweight Congress leader in his heydays, was not accepted by the people of Silchar as he belonged to Hailakandi, Susmita argued. She said, neither district Congress nor the people of Silchar would accept anyone from outside the district.

Kamalakha however maintained that, time had come the people of Barak Valley should rise above narrowness over who belongs to which district. Barak Valley should be seen as a single identity as the people of three districts faced equal negligence from the State government, he argued. Youths of Barak Valley were deprived of government jobs, and there should be a unified protest from three districts, but unfortunately some leaders were busy with petty politics of district-wise identity, he said.

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