A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Kanad Purkayastha, who won the Rajya Sabha election uncontested, arrived at Silchar amid a saffron wave, reached his home, touched his father’s feet seeking blessings, after which both son and the ailing father were seen weeping tears of joy.
Kanad’s father Kabindra Purkayastha, one of the founding members of the BJP, was waiting for this moment since 2011, the year Dr Rajdeep Roy snatched the Assembly nomination in Delhi. Since then, Kanad had applied for party tickets in all the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha elections, but was deprived. After he was denied nomination in 2021, Kabindra Purkayastha, in a hurriedly-convened press meet, directly pointed fingers at Rajdeep Roy, then a powerful MP, and alleged that his son was deprived only because Rajdeep, the son of former MLA Late Bimalangshu Roy, wanted to settle a score with the Purkayasthas. The cold war between Kabindra Purkayastha, a former Union Minister, and Late Bimalangshu Roy was an open secret in the saffron brigade. However Kanad, in spite of being deprived election after election, did not utter a single word of dissidence. Rather, he was seen discharging every duty he was assigned to by the party leaders. And finally patience paid off.
Kanad said that the recognition from the party was beyond his expectation, and he would, as usual, discharge his duty with utmost dedication and sincerity. He thanked the central leaders, the state President, Dilip Saikia, and also the 60 lakh party members in the state.
“And a big thanks to Himanta Biswa Sarma,” Kanad exclaimed. He admitted that he did not even consider applying for the Rajya Sabha nomination, but a senior leader of the state BJP asked him to do so and finally he was summoned by the Assam CM to Guwahati and the party zeroed in on his name.
A jubilant Kanad Purkayastha said that he would work hard to make the Chief Minister’s dream, to put Assam amongst the five most advanced states, a reality.
Also Read: Assam: Kanad Purkayastha, Birendra Prasad Baishya Elected to Rajya Sabha Unopposed
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