Guwahati: With less than three weeks remaining for the Lok Sabha elections, exodus in Assam Congress continues as five of its leaders have deserted the grand old party in less than 24 hours, with three of them switching to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Among the leaders who have parted ways with the party includes Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) General Secretary Manash Borah, APCC Secretary and State President of the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) Gauravv Somani, APCC Executive Member Abu Saleh Najmuddin, Senior Spokesperson Kishore Bhattacharya, and General Secretary of the Charaideo District Congress Committee Anuj Borkotoky.
While Borah, Somani, Bhattacharya and Borkotoky resigned from the Congress on Saturday, Abu Saleh Najmuddin tendered his resignation on Sunday. Hours after quitting the party on Saturday, Borah and Somani switched to the BJP, while Bhattacharya joined the saffron party on Sunday.
In his resignation letter addressed to APCC President Bhupen Kumar Borah, Somani stated that the “unsatisfactory leadership” within the state unit has “regrettably failed” to effectively address the pressing issues faced by the people of Assam. He said that despite the collective efforts and dedication of the party workers, the leadership’s “inability” to formulate and implement strategic solutions to tackle the myriad challenges confronting the party’s constituents has been disheartening.
Somani said that the “persistent discord” and “internal conflicts” among the Congress leadership have not only undermined the party’s credibility, but have also “eroded the trust and morale” of the dedicated grassroots workers. He added that the “incessant power struggles” and “personal agendas” among leaders have overshadowed the party’s mission and values, and the “continuous infighting” has created a “toxic environment” within the party.
On the other hand, Abu Saleh Najmuddin in his resignation letter stated that the actions of some leaders of the APCC and All India Congress Committee (AICC) have deviated from the ideology of the Congress by putting the interest of the common people and the long-term Congressmen in the back seat by openly projecting candidates canvassed by “traitors of the party.” He added that the Nehru-Gandhi-Azad-Patel ideology of building the Congress is being compromised in Assam.
Najmuddin, who had been with the Congress since 1972, was a two-time MLA, and also a minister in the Hiteswar Saikia-led Assam government.
The Assam Congress has been grappling to stabilise its ship ever since one of its three Working Presidents Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha stepped down from his post on February 14 this year, and along with another MLA Basanta Das, expressed allegiance to the BJP-led state government’s developmental works.
This was followed by another Working President Rana Goswami resigning from the party on February 28 and joining the BJP a day after. The 138-year-old party received yet another blow when its veteran leader and MLA Bharat Narah resigned from the party on March 25 this year. Following the frequent departure of its leaders, the Congress is facing an uphill task ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Rubbing salt in the Congress’ wound, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said, “No one will remain in Assam Congress. By 2026, there will be no Hindu individual left in the party, and by 2032, most of the Muslim people will also leave. After that, we will open a branch of BJP at Rajiv Bhawan (Congress headquarters in Guwahati), and sometimes go and sit there.”
