Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said he does not believe former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah has withdrawn his resignation and confirmed that the two leaders recently spoke over the phone, with a meeting scheduled for February 17.
“I don’t think that he has withdrawn his resignation. I spoke with him by phone, and he invited me to his residence at 7 tomorrow,” Sarma said, adding that he would meet Borah at his home on February 17.
The Chief Minister went a step further by publicly urging Borah to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. “I want him to join the BJP as he is the last Hindu leader in the Congress party in Assam,” Sarma stated, a remark that has intensified political debate in the state.
His comments have fuelled speculation over Borah’s political future and raised questions about the internal stability of the Assam Congress unit.
Meanwhile, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader Rafiqul Islam alleged that Borah’s resignation indicates a possible shift to the BJP and reflects deeper divisions within the Congress in Assam. “Bhupen Borah was the president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, and he has just resigned. From his body language, it seems he will join the BJP. He already has a good friendship with the Chief Minister,” Islam said.
He further criticised the Congress leadership, stating, “I don’t know what has happened to the Congress party that it has placed BJP agents in high positions.”
Referring to the earlier split between Congress and the AIUDF, Islam claimed that Borah had distanced the two parties for strategic reasons. “Bhupen Borah broke ties with AIUDF for this reason because if Congress and AIUDF had fought together in Assam, the BJP could not have formed the government,” he said.
Islam also targeted the party’s handling of minority leadership, alleging that while the Congress seeks Muslim votes, it does not tolerate the rise of Muslim leaders within its ranks.
Borah has not issued any public response to Sarma’s invitation or to the allegations levelled by the AIUDF leader, keeping the political atmosphere charged ahead of the scheduled meeting.
