Guwahati: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said BJP in Assam wants to bring all the good people in Congress to its fold for a better future of the party and the state and this is under union home minister Amit Shah’s guidance is a deliberate, ongoing mission.Speaking to media at a small function in New Delhi where former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi joined BJP, Sarma said there is “no atmosphere” left in Congress for right-thinking people, predicting that leaders like Debabrata Saikia (LoP) and Ripun Bora will also exit after the elections.
“Assam is a state where we have had to fight a war for existence. After the census, our fight to secure the Assamese people will intensify. I don’t want any right-thinking Assamese people to be on the other side of the fence,” Sarma said.Calling it as an “outreach programme” being carried out systematically under Amit Shah’s guidance, Sarma said, “This is an ongoing programme for Assam BJP. We want to bring all good leaders from Congress into BJP for the better future of the party and the state.”“No one with self-respect can stay in Congress now,” Sarma asserted. “All those who are not liabilities, all Congress assets, we want to bring to BJP. This process started in 2016 and we have achieved 99 per cent so far.”He further claimed that even Muslim leaders in Congress are “feeling suffocated” would join BJP if the party opens its doors and if not for ideological barriers.Sarma’s own switch from Congress in 2015 triggered a wave of defections from 2016. Since then 17 Congress and BPF leaders have crossed over, reshaping Assam’s political map. Former PCC president Bhupen Borah joined BJP in February, while Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi became the latest entrant this week.He said, “I don’t want Congress to cease to exist, but we don’t want it to become an adda of anti-Assam people. No one with self-respect can stay in Congress now,” Sarma said.Sarma also said another senior Congress leader, Nabajyoti Talukdar, will join BJP in Guwahati within “two or three days.”
