Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ending his 32-year-long association with the Congress just months before the Assembly elections.
Borah formally joined the BJP on Sunday at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati. Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia and other senior leaders were present at the event. His move comes only days after he resigned from the Congress, citing differences with the party’s senior leadership.
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‘Nobody bothered to listen’
Speaking after joining the BJP, Borah said he had given a significant part of his political life to the Congress but felt sidelined when he faced discrimination within the party.
“I reached out to leaders like Rahul Gandhi, but nobody bothered to listen to me or address issues related to the party’s ideology,” he said. He also clarified that he had not initially left the Congress with the intention of joining the BJP.
Borah further claimed that more Congress leaders could switch sides in the run-up to the Assembly elections. “More than 700 leaders in Congress have sought tickets for the Assembly elections. After the party declares its list of candidates, I will give the BJP a list of Congress leaders who are willing to switch,” he added.
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'I welcome him': CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said, “I welcome him as a BJP member and wish him a successful future. I would suggest that he forget the bitter memories of Congress. He will be a strong support for us.”
Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, said Borah had been given adequate opportunities in the Congress, and if he still felt dissatisfied, he was free to seek them in the BJP.
