Guwahati, Feb 18: Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah has alleged that public humiliation by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi led to his resignation from the Indian National Congress after 32 years.
Borah said that on February 9 he was asked to lead alliance negotiations during a video conference. Two days later, he claimed, Gogoi instructed him to include leader Rakibul Hussain in the talks. However, on February 13, Gogoi allegedly accused him publicly of creating confusion.
“I started the talks. On the 11th, Gaurav Gogoi said, ‘You shouldn’t go alone, take Rakibul Hussain along too’… but on the 13th, Gaurav Gogoi announced that Bhupen Borah had created a misunderstanding,” Borah said. “I asked him why he had humiliated me in front of everyone, but he gave no answer.”
He added that he raised the issue with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. “I couldn’t tolerate such humiliation. But no one said anything,” Borah stated.
The former APCC chief also criticised Gogoi over a seat-allocation decision during a recent by-election, alleging that a constituency earlier intended for CPI(ML) was reassigned to a candidate with no Congress background — a seat that was ultimately lost.
Borah pointed to his own role in reshaping the party’s trajectory in Assam, noting that after becoming APCC president in 2021 he ended the Congress alliance with AIUDF and later forged coalitions with 16 parties ahead of the INDIA bloc formation. “I gave 32 years to the Congress party. Congress made me from an MLA to APCC president,” he said.
Assam Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia adopted a measured tone, acknowledging Borah’s long association with the party. “He was my president… when I first became a new MLA in 2001, he told me a little about how to present my views in the Assembly. He gave me good advice,” Saikia said.
Borah is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party on February 22. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that several Congress leaders from Guwahati and North Lakhimpur would join alongside him, adding that the move has received approval from BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
