Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah, who is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party on February 22, has alleged that he was publicly humiliated by senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and that the party high command failed to act despite his complaint.
Speaking to news agency ANI on Wednesday, Borah said he had devoted 32 years to the Congress party. “Congress made me from an MLA to APCC president. When I became president in 2021, the party was in alliance with AIUDF. I broke that alliance. Even before the INDIA bloc was formed, I forged alliances with 16 parties,” he said.
Borah claimed that during a by-election, it had been decided that one seat would be allotted to CPI(ML), but the candidate’s name was changed at the last minute to someone who had never been a Congress member. “Gaurav Gogoi couldn’t win that seat,” he alleged.
Referring to alliance discussions earlier this month, Borah said that during a February 9 video conference, he was asked to rebuild alliances. “I began discussions. On February 11, Gogoi said I should take Rakibul Hussain along. But on February 13, he publicly said I had created confusion. I asked why he humiliated me in front of everyone, but he gave no answer,” Borah said. He added that he informed Rahul Gandhi about the matter but did not receive any response.
His remarks came a day after Assam Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma met him and announced that Borah would join the party.
Meanwhile, Gogoi accused Borah of leaking confidential party information to a journalist allegedly close to Sarma. He said rumours about Borah’s proximity to the Chief Minister had now been proven true. Gogoi further alleged that Borah’s swift move to the Bharatiya Janata Party reflected Sarma’s “desperation” amid the Congress party’s campaign targeting alleged land holdings linked to the Chief Minister’s family.
Gogoi also referred to a pending inquiry against Borah by the Women’s Commission, claiming that Sarma had previously criticised Borah’s conduct but was now portraying him as an “upright Hindu leader.”