Guwahati, Feb 20 (IANS) Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah on Friday launched a sharp attack on the party’s state leadership, alleging internal discord and a breakdown of unity within the state unit.
Speaking to reporters, Borah claimed that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has long harboured differences with Raijor Dal leader and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi.
“Gaurav Gogoi never liked Akhil Gogoi from the beginning. Although Akhil Gogoi has been demanding 15 seats for the assembly polls, Congress can hardly give it two to three seats,” Borah alleged.
He further claimed that the Congress in Assam has “psychologically collapsed”, pointing to infighting and lack of cohesion among senior leaders.
According to Borah, the absence of a collective vision and mutual trust has weakened the party’s ability to challenge the ruling BJP in the state.
Referring to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s two-day visit to Assam, Borah questioned the morale within the party leadership.
“When Priyanka Gandhi was in Assam, did anyone see even a smile on her face?” he asked, suggesting that the atmosphere within the party reflected despair and uncertainty.
Borah said such developments had demoralised grassroots workers and confused voters, ultimately benefiting the BJP.
He added that instead of introspection and course correction, the party leadership continued to ignore ground realities and suppress dissenting voices.
Former senior Congress leader’s remarks came at the backdrop of Akhil Gogoi expressing strong dissatisfaction over the outcome of the recent meeting between the Congress and Raijor Dal, particularly over the issue of seat-sharing for the upcoming elections in the state.
Gogoi said the Congress leadership had changed its stand on the seat-sharing arrangement, which, according to him, had caused confusion and mistrust among alliance partners.
He said he would be sending a letter to the Congress leadership to formally convey his dissatisfaction over the developments.
“We have asked for only 15 seats. But even within that, the Congress has changed seats involving important candidates,” Akhil Gogoi said, alleging that the decisions taken were unilateral and did not reflect the spirit of alliance politics.
He added that such changes could adversely affect the collective objective of defeating the BJP. Akhil Gogoi further said that seat-sharing should be finalised immediately instead of being delayed repeatedly.
“This cannot be ‘date after date’. There must be an immediate and clear seat-sharing arrangement,” he said, warning that prolonged indecision would only benefit the BJP.
–IANS
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