Later, in a media briefing, Borah said, “I will talk to my family members and have sought time to rethink. I will let my friends in Congress know about it.” Borah, who has been associated with the Congress for the last 32 years, said that he had resigned to protect his self respect. Saying he has sought one day’s time from the party, Borah said, “The Congress high command did not know many things happening here (in Assam unit). I had to write to them. Today my party leaders came to me, so I have discussed this. I have sought one day’s time to think it over and tomorrow I will meet Jitendra Singh again to convey my decision.”
Borah, while announcing his resignation, had complained that the party was failing to take timely decisions. “The party is unable to even decide who should attend its rallies and who should not,” he said.
Singh, however, thanked Borah for taking back his resignation. “Senior Congress leader Bhupen Borah is an important member of the Congress family. He had sent his resignation to our party’s national president. At times, there are differences of opinion within the Congress family. The Congress president has not accepted his resignation. The party leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, held a long discussion with him. We have resolved this through discussions. He has been in Congress for the last 30 years.”
Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit Assam on February 18.
Reacting to the resignation, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Borah was the last Hindu leader in Congress not born out of nepotism. He said that his resignation is a message that in the Congress, no one from a normal family background can prosper. “He has to be chief ministers’ son or higher up, then only he can survive,” Sarma said, taking a dig at the Congress.
Sarma said he will meet Borah on Tuesday. “If he wants, he can join the BJP. Three years ago, we were ready to welcome Borah and give him a party ticket,” the CM added.Borah was recently tasked to work out alliances for the party ahead of this year’s assembly polls. Polls are likely scheduled to be held in March-April this year.
Sarma said, “Ahead of next Lok Sabha election, senior Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi, who is MP from Nagaon, will leave Congress and join BJP. Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia will lose this year’s election from Nazira and after that I will talk to his mother and bring him to BJP.” Sources in BJP added, “Basanta Das, MLA from Mangaldoi, is quitting Congress.”
Sources in BJP said that Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha from North Karimganj is also set to leave Congress. Sashi Kanta Das MLA from Raha will also quit the party. Both these MLAs have been suspended from the Congress.
