Map 1.1 Location of Assam
1.9 Scheme of chapters
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Movement. Interplay of media and public opinion upon the political process is given due attention in the book. Yet the book is not specific to the internal political dynamics of the political parties in Assam.
Sanjib Baruah (2007, 2011) deals with the history of sub-nationalism in Northeast India. Some of his research questions are; how the autonomy movements and insurgency in Assam have threatened the legitimacy of the AGP regime, what is the history of social conflict in Assam and what are the tensions between pan- Indianism and Assamese sub nationalist etc. India’s formally federal but actually centralized government structure is causing divisive sentiment in the peripheral states making the society unstable and prone to conflict. Baruah argues that the system of the institutionalized authoritarian tactics of the state, since the days of company upon society and politics of the region has been endemic and durable which have alienated people from their forests, land and resources.
In all these aforesaid books the cardinal point of the present research, that is the factional rivalry or conflict among the top leaders of the AGP, has not been discussed and analyzed. That is why the present study on this issue of factionalism in a regional party stands on academically rationale basis. The very fact that none of the available books on regionalism in Assam have taken up the intra-party conflict within the AGP; makes the present research academically relevant. Further, by undertaking this study, an attempt has been made to philosophies the future of the only regional party in the state which twice came to power and eventually started declining.
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methodology and observation of the defined approach in an objective manner.
Data collection after determining the universe of the study is another important aspect of academic work. This aspect along with a note on methodology is also written in this chapter. This chapter contains literature review covering a host of research on factionalism in different countries of the world, in India and also in Assam. The rationale of selection of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) as case study and limitations of the research are also expressed.
The second chapter is devoted to theoretical aspects of factionalism, various theories of factionalism, approaches to the study of factionalism etc. It deals with topics that vary from types of faction to nature of faction, functions of faction to the solutions of faction etc.
In the third chapter titled ‘The trajectory of factional politics in the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)’ the case study of the research is introduced. The chapter begins with the origin of the party, ideological basis and support base, features of its leadership, organizational structure and the roots of factionalism in the party. It also peeps into the trajectory of factional alignments in the AGP along with its disnict patterns.
The title of the fourth chapter is ‘Dynamics of factional politics in the Asom Gana Parishad’. The name suggests that the chapter directly deals with the main issue of the study. Starting with the initial shades of factionalism, the chapter goes on to examine how friends of the Assam Movement turned into foes due to factional rivalry in the course of time. It reveals the impact of factionalism on the party organization, on the governance process in Assam, leadership relation in the AGP and overall development during the period from 1985 to 1995.
As the time frame of this research is almost 30 years, so the dynamics of factionalism is depicted in two chapters. The fifth chapter titled ‘The degenerative factionalism in the Asom Gana Parishad’ is an extension of the fourth one. The chapter deals with factional politics from 1996 when the AGP occupied power in Assam for the second term. Factionalism in the AGP displayed during this period
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had some specific patterns absent earlier. Factionalism from 2001 to 2011, when the AGP faced repeated failure in elections, turned into degeneration of the party, its support base etc. The rise of national political parties in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha election of 2014 posed a pertinent question as whether regionalism has ended in Assam or it’s a new epoch in regional politics. These issues are dealt as postscripts in this chapter.
The sixth chapter is devoted to interplay of factionalism in the AGP and the crisis of Assamese nationalism. The research would have been incomplete without considering the catalysts of factional politics and ideological issues concerning regionalism in Assam. Factionalism in a regional political party formed out of a social movement can’t occur in vacuum and as the epitome of Assamese nationalism how did the AGP responded to the social factions is an important aspect of this study. Factionalism in a political party and the social environment is integrally linked, so this aspect is given attention in this chapter. The study on factionalism ends with a conclusion and summery of the findings in the seventh chapter.
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