New Delhi: The surprise exit of former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah from the grand old party has once again highlighted the pattern of several big leaders deserting the party ahead of the crucial polls despite efforts to undo from the party leadership.
Borah, who resigned on Monday by writing to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge highlighting that how he was humiliated and sidelined in the party, was approached by the state in-charge Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, state unit chief Gaurav Gogoi.
Singh even commented that how he made Borah to speak to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
However, despite efforts from the party, Borah remained with his decision and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma meeting him and announcing that he will be joining the BJP on February 22.
Borah’s resignation led to war of words in the Congress and the BJP as Chief Minister Sarma took swipe at the grand old party saying that Borah was the last recognised Hindu leader of the Congress.
He stated that apart from Borah, “if you ask about Debabrata Saikia, he is the son of Hiteshwar Saikia; Gaurav Gogoi is the son of Tarun Gogoi; Pradyut Bordoloi himself wins from a minority seat”.
“Borah was the last legitimate Hindu face of the Congress. His resignation is, in a way, like the Congress separating itself from Hindu society…” Sarma said.
Even Gogoi hit back at the BJP and Sarma as he stated that there were many rumours regarding the close relationship between Sarma and Borah.
“We tried our best not to believe these rumours and speculation. We always wondered as to how the information relating to confidential meetings was known to a particular journalist close to the Chief Minister. These rumours have come out to be true…,” the Assam unit chief said.
But the pattern of some high profile exits especially of the state presidents also highlights the deepening crisis in the Congress ahead of the polls.
Borah’s name now adds to the list of state presidents who have left the party which already included the names of Ashok Chavan, Sunil Jakhar, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Tanwar, Sanjay Nirupam, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Ravinder Singh Lovey and Bharat Singh Solanki.
While Borah has commented that how he was miffed with party’s functioning in the state as well as he added that how the party in the state was now more inclined towards Lok Sabha MP from Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain
Borah claimed that Gogoi, the state Congress president, was just “the mere face of the party now”.
“Hussain, who had won the Dhubri seat by over 10 lakh votes, is the sole base of the party,” he claimed.
Hussain was considered close to former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and was also a minister in his government.
He is recognised as the most powerful Muslim Congress leader in Assam. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Hussain defeated AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal in the Dhubri seat by over 10 lakh votes. His victory margin was among the highest in the country.
Hussain earlier served as an MLA from the Samaguri assembly seat in Nagaon district for twenty-three years, from 2001 to 2024. However, in the by-election held after his election, Congress fielded his son, Tanjil Hussain, but he lost.
Hussain is also a key part of Congress’s strategy for the Assam assembly elections, which are expected to be held in March-April.
