Guwahati, March 23 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched a sharp attack on Gaurav Gogoi, questioning his leadership credentials and said that the Congress MP has failed miserably to keep leaders within his party fold.
Addressing reporters in Golaghat, the Chief Minister criticised Gogoi over his recent public statements, alleging that they reflected an inability to manage internal party affairs and retain leaders within the organisation. Sarma said such remarks amounted to an admission of failure as a political leader.
“The question is, why can’t you keep anyone in Congress? By saying such things, you are calling yourself a failure. This is the first time I have seen a leader who openly admits that he cannot keep people in his own party,” Sarma said.
The BJP leader further escalated his criticism with a contentious remark, suggesting that it would be “better for him to go to Pakistan”, a statement that is expected to invite strong reactions from the opposition.
The comments come at a time when political tensions are rising in Assam ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, with both the BJP and the Congress intensifying their attacks on each other over leadership issues, defections, and governance.
In recent weeks, the Congress has faced a series of setbacks due to leaders switching sides, a development that the BJP has repeatedly highlighted to question the party’s organisational strength in the state.
CM Sarma’s remarks appeared aimed at reinforcing that narrative while putting the spotlight on Gogoi’s leadership role within the party.
Meanwhile, former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed his nomination papers today from the Bihpuria Assembly constituency in Lakhimpur district also took a jibe at state leaders of the Congress party.
Borah, accompanied by senior BJP leaders and supporters, submitted his nomination amid a show of strength, signalling his formal entry into the electoral fray under the saffron party’s banner.
The move comes shortly after his induction into the BJP, marking a significant political shift in Assam’s pre-poll landscape.
Speaking to reporters after filing his papers, Borah launched a sharp attack on the Congress, his former party, stating that “no one with a sense of self-respect can stay in Congress anymore”.
He alleged internal issues and a lack of direction within the party, which, according to him, compelled many leaders to reconsider their political future.
–IANS
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