Shillong: Senior Congress leader Deborah C Marak said on Wednesday that she was caught off guard by Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi's decision to leave the Congress party and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Marak, who serves as Working President of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee, described the development as unfortunate and said she felt personally disappointed.
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Speaking to reporters, Marak did not hold back in expressing how the news affected her.
"Pradyut Bordoloi is a very senior leader, I know him very well. He is a good friend of mine," she said.
"It is very unfortunate, and I never expected him to leave the party."
Marak said she had watched Bordoloi's interview the previous night, in which he laid out his reasons for quitting the Congress.
"He has given many reasons. I saw his interview last night and felt upset," she said, adding, "He is a good friend and a senior Congress leader who has left the party and joined the BJP."
When asked about Gaurav Gogoi's leadership of the Congress party, Marak declined to offer any remarks on the matter.