Assam: Prominent Congress, AASU Leaders Jumps Ship, Join BJP

GUWAHATI: In a major blow to the Congress party, two former leaders of the party’s state unit and two All Assam Students Union (AASU) ex-leaders have jumped ship and switched over to the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here in Guwahati.

This significant development has strengthened the saffron party’s prospects just ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and it also comes days after Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi left Assam.

Former Congress leader Angkita Dutta, daughter of late Congress stalwart Anjan Dutta, was expelled for “anti-party activities” after she had accused Srinivas B.V, the national president of the youth Congress, of harassment and gender discrimination in April last year.

Former Congress Minister Bishmita Gogoi recently exited from the party, alleging that it does not give due respect to its women.

The duo joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its state president, Bhabesh Kalita, and other party leaders at its headquarters in Guwahati.

Besides them, former AASU President Dipanka Nath, who parted ways with the students’ organization back in 2022 on personal and family grounds after being actively associated with the students’ body for over 20 years, along with Prakash Das, who quit AASU as advisor recently, got inducted into the saffron party stating that it is the right platform to work for the interest of the state and the Assamese community.

Meanwhile, Angkita has accused the Grand Old Party of compromising with its original ideology.

She said that the party was run following the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi during the days of her father Anjan Dutta and grandfather Thaneswar Dutta. However, the leadership of the party is occupied with rebranding Rahul Gandhi, thereby compromising with its ideology, she added.

On the other hand, BJP’s state president Bhabesh Kalita said that their induction will strengthen the saffron party.

“Joining of leaders from various political parties and organizations and civil societies is the result of the good governance and the PM Modi-led government at the centre and CM Sarma-led government in the state,” he said.

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