Ex-Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah joins BJP

Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Sunday joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its state unit president Dilip Saikia here.

Hours after joining the BJP, the ruling party inducted Borah into the State Executive Committee. Borah became a BJP member at a function held at the Assam BJP headquarters ‘Vajpayee Bhawan’.

Along with him, former Congress leaders Sanju Bora, Rajesh Kumar Joshi, Kangkan Das, Gagan Chandra Bora and more than a dozen other workers from the opposition party also joined the BJP. Borah had resigned on February 16, with the Congress high command not accepting it and senior leaders rushing to his residence, while Rahul Gandhi also spoke to him.

He had asked for time to reconsider his decision, but the next day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went to his residence and announced that he would join the BJP on February 22.

The 126-member Assam assembly is expected to go to the polls in April-May.

Borah, after joining the saffron party, said, “I didn’t resign from the Congress, thinking that I would join the BJP. I resigned, thinking that a self-introspection would take place about the wrongs in the Congress, and expected a promise that it would be corrected.” The Congress leadership “hurt his sentiment”, he said.

“The Congress also hurt the Assamese community’s feelings. I served the Congress for 32 years with an ideology, conscience and patriotism, but I am hurt now,” Borah said.

Welcoming him into the BJP, the Chief Minister said there may be “some bitterness” inside Borah as he left the Congress after serving the party for more than 32 years with a lot of contribution. “From today, a new life starts in the BJP. He is a proud member of the party now. The BJP family will also take care of him and give him love and respect,” he said.