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NEW DELHI: Is Congress faltering adjacent earlier the run-up to the Assam assembly elections?Earlier connected Sunday, the Congress successful Assam faced its astir important setback yet arsenic erstwhile authorities main Bhupen Borah formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) astatine their headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan. While the defection of a authorities president is simply a seismic lawsuit successful its ain right, for the Congress, the existent value of the infinitesimal lies successful its resemblance to the events of 2015.It appears the "ghosts" of the past person returned to haunt the grand-old enactment conscionable arsenic the authorities gears up for the 2026 assembly elections.Ahead of the 2016 assembly elections, Himana near Congress aft the enactment precocious bid projected Tarun Gogoi's lad arsenic the look of Assam’s Congress enactment contempt Sarma's cardinal relation successful managing the 2011 predetermination run for the enactment and helping it triumph an unprecedented 79 seats successful the 126-member assembly.Recalling the event, Sarma precocious claimed that Sonia had virtually cleared his sanction for the main minister’s station -- lone for a telephone telephone from Rahul Gandhi to alteration everything.“Madam (
Sonia Gandhi
), whom I inactive notation to arsenic such, had asked maine to determine connected the day and I had told her that I would instrumentality oath the time aft the Ambubachi Mela astatine Kamakhya Temple successful June (2014),” helium said.
“The concern changed aft Rahul Gandhi made the calls,” Sarma added.
Déjà vuHistory repeated itself successful Borah’s case. Following his resignation, Congress leaders reached retired to a long-faced Borah but failed. All India Congress Committee (AICC) authorities in-charge Jitendra Singh stated that Borah had “withdrawn” his resignation aft discussions with the enactment leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, and that the resignation had not been accepted.However, Borah claimed Rahul called him “but did not accidental a word” astir his resignation letter.“He mentioned however we helped the enactment grow, and helium helped maine implicit the years, which is true, but helium did not accidental a connection astir my resignation letter,” Borah told quality bureau PTI.
“I had told Rahul Gandhi that I americium feeling humiliated successful the party, and past helium said that helium was besides feeling humiliated. Then what is the worth of my humiliation? I cannot tolerate specified humiliation arsenic I bash not person truthful overmuch capacity,” helium added.During this time, the Assam main curate announced that the doors of the BJP were unfastened for Borah, promising that helium would assistance him triumph from a “safe seat” successful the assembly polls.Why Borah chopped ties with CongressMany flashpoints contributed to the bitterness betwixt Borah and Congress. In his missive to Kharge, Borah listed his grievances against Gaurav Gogoi and Rakibul Hussain.After resigning from the party, Borah launched an onslaught connected a conception of Congress leaders without taking names. He said helium was prepared to enactment successful the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) but not successful “APCC (R),” successful an evident notation to Hussain.“The prevailing cognition successful Assam is that the authorities portion of the Congress is being steered nether the power of Rakibul Hussain, a enactment statement that has not recovered resonance with a important conception of the bulk assemblage successful Upper Assam. His evident connivance with Shri Jitendra Singh has further propelled the enactment towards calamity, pushing it to the brink of catastrophe and starring it ominously towards governmental doom.
Politics, aft all, is arsenic overmuch astir cognition arsenic it is astir principle, and erstwhile assurance erodes crossed cardinal constituencies, the consequences are neither trivial nor transient,” the missive read.Borah besides accused Gogoi of subjecting him to marginalisation successful the party’s decision-making process.“Personal reversals I tin withstand, but self-respect and dignity are not currencies with which I whitethorn barter.
I find myself neither consulted connected substantive enactment matters nor accorded the respect befitting a elder colleague. I bash not articulate these reflections successful a tone of rancour, but successful genuine perplexity arsenic to wherefore I look to person been subjected to marginalisation astatine the hands of Gaurav Gogoi and Rakibul Hussain,” the missive read.Later, helium alleged that Gogoi had breached the absorption confederation that helium had stitched unneurotic a fewer years ago, fearing that if the absorption came to powerfulness “by chance,” helium mightiness not go the main minister.“When I was fixed the work to instrumentality the confederation guardant erstwhile again connected February 9, what was the constituent of including Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain successful the talks?” helium asked.“Gogoi possibly felt that if the confederation took shape, past Bhupen Borah would enactment everything amicably earlier Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, threatening his existence,” helium claimed.Borah, who was president of the ‘Assam Sanmilita Mancha’ — a beforehand of 16 absorption parties — besides claimed that earlier the bypolls to 5 assembly constituencies successful 2024, it was decided that a CPI(ML) campaigner would contention the Behali spot arsenic the outfit had secured 40,000 votes successful the erstwhile election.“I agreed to it, but my connection was not considered by the AICC. Two oregon 3 leaders from the authorities portion besides started discussing different names. Finally, a idiosyncratic was named arsenic the Congress campaigner who, till then, was not adjacent a subordinate of the party,” helium said.
“The leaders of the different confederation parties past told maine that if you cannot permission adjacent 1 spot retired of the five, what is determination near to sermon for the 126 seats successful the adjacent elections? I past resigned arsenic caput of the conjugation connected motivation grounds, and the Congress campaigner mislaid badly,” helium added.Borah besides said that Congress authorities in-charge Jitendra Singh chaired a gathering with six leaders connected February 9, wherever helium was fixed work for taking guardant confederation talks up of the assembly polls.“I accepted it arsenic it was the party’s decision. I besides felt that an confederation was indispensable arsenic Congress could not tackle the BJP alone. I saw a request to unite anti-BJP votes,” helium said.He added that the adjacent day, Gogoi told him Rakibul Hussain would beryllium actively progressive successful the talks.“I told him this was not the determination taken astatine the meeting. In the meantime, Nagaon Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi called maine and said that if Rakibul was there, helium would not tolerate it,” Borah claimed.“Amid this, Gaurav publically said I was spreading misinformation astir starring the talks. I had already spoken to leaders of different parties, including Akhil Gogoi,” helium said.‘Congress separating itself from Hindu society’Meanwhile, Assam main curate
Himanta Biswa Sarma
claimed Borah’s resignation marked a “separation” of Congress from Hindu society, calling him the past recognised Hindu person successful the authorities unit.“Bhupen Borah was the past recognised Hindu person of the Congress,” Sarma said.Sarma asserted that much Congress leaders would transverse implicit to the BJP and claimed disillusioned Muslim leaders mightiness articulation Raijor Dal.“The BJP volition person Raijor Dal and not Congress arsenic its absorption successful the 2031 assembly polls,” helium claimed.Drawing parallels with his ain journey, Sarma said Borah’s resignation reflected deeper issues wrong Congress.“His resignation carries the symbolic connection that successful Congress, nary 1 from a mean household tin prosper. Congress does not springiness designation to radical from mean families. I hail from an mean middle-class family, and the BJP has made maine a main minister,” helium said.Congress marred with infights?Assam is not the lone authorities wherever Congress is facing interior rifts.In Karnataka, main curate Siddaramaiah and lawman DK Shivakumar person publically displayed tensions.
In Odisha, Mohammed Moquim resigned, citing organisational issues.
During the Bihar assembly elections, cracks resurfaced wrong Congress’s authorities unit. Rebel leaders protested aft being denied tickets. The enactment yet emerged arsenic the weakest nexus successful its alliance, signaling the lowest onslaught complaint among large partners.Borah present joins a increasing database of leaders who exited Congress aft clashes with the precocious bid oregon state-level rivalries, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Jitin Prasada, each of whom discontinue the enactment to articulation rivals.In the run-up to assembly elections successful the state, the Congress finds itself astatine a crossroads, trying to navigate not lone the BJP but besides the acquainted interior frictions that person historically hindered its momentum.
