Jorhat (Assam): Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah on Tuesday hit back at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the latter's remarks of Borah joining the BJP ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
"I can say that by January-February 2025, Bhupen Borah will join the BJP. I have kept two constituencies ready for him, though won't name those now," Sarma said on Monday evening. Sarma also termed the grand old party as a 'fixed deposit' of the BJP, from which it draws members whenever needed.
Addressing the media persons in Jorhat, Borah lashed out at the BJP saying such comments made by the CM about him joining the saffron camp are nothing but 'political mind games'.
Refuting the speculations of him joining the BJP which was irked following the CM’s recent statements, Borah asserted that he shall be the commander of the Congress if the party permitted him, and is also ready to fight the CM in the 2026 state assembly elections.
"I want to ask, why should I join the BJP? If I join, will the six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe status for years get it? Will new jobs be created? Will landless indigenous families get land rights?" Borah asked.
Borah accused the CM of intentionally playing these psychological games to divert public attention from important issues which are relevant in the upcoming polls.
"The CM is playing mind games. Whenever we talk about burning issues, he tries to divert attention as he has no solutions. But the Congress will not fall into the trap of such mind games", Borah added.
Commenting on the party's decision of giving a ticket to Gogoi from the Jorhat Lok Sabha Seat instead of Kaziranga, Borah said that Gogoi has been warmly welcomed by the people of Jorhat and thus the choice of giving him the ticket from there.
Gogoi has stood tall inside the parliament as the voice of the people of Assam and has raised the issues pertinent to the state and the nation by looking straight in the eyes of the Prime Minister, Borah said.
Meanwhile, the CM said supporting the Congress means supporting Rahul Gandhi, and supporting the BJP means supporting PM Narendra Modi. Additionally, he asserted that the Congress candidate in Sonitpur will also become a member of the saffron party if the BJP asks dialed his number once.
"Gaurav Gogoi has established his identity in front of the nation. Gogoi has been chosen as the candidate in Jorhat after considering the recommendations of the party leaders. With Gogoi at the forefront, the Congress will fight the saffron party and win by a huge margin this time," Borah said.
Borah claimed that On June 4, the people of Jorhat will give a historic mandate by giving a befitting reply to the PM and the state government's fraudulence and deception.
Premlal Ganju, the general secretary of the state party, has been nominated by the Congress to challenge incumbent MLA Dutta, a former state minister and state president of the BJP. The constituency will hold its first round of voting on April 19.
Out of the total 14 seats in the state, the BJP is running for 11, giving the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) two and one seat each.
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