Exodus to BJP on track, 9 Congress MLAs fly to Delhi

Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Sept 4: Nine rebel Congress legislators and the lone TMC MLA today left for New Delhi reportedly to hold discussions with the BJP leadership.

Jayanta Malla Barua, Pijush Hazarika, Kripath Malla, Abu Taher Bepari, Rajen Borthakur, Binda Saikia and Pradan Barua took a flight from Guwahati, while Bolin Chetia boarded a flight to Delhi at Dibrugarh.

Sources said TMC MLA from Hajo Dipen Pathak, who also left for Delhi today, is also "interested" in joining the BJP.

Mentor of the rebel Congress legislators, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had recently joined the BJP, also left for the tiol capital in a separate flight in the evening.

Sources said the rebel Congress MLAs had a prelimiry discussion with the State BJP leadership and will now meet senior tiol leaders before a fil round of talks with tiol president Amit Shah.

The rebel Congress legislators, four of them suspended from the party for anti-party activities and the others slapped with show-cause notices, are apprehensive of not getting tickets if they remain in the Congress. They also feel they will not be taken into confidence by the party after their open rebellion.

When asked, State BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharjee said, "A number of Congress legislators are in touch. We have to consider many things. Though our doors are open, there cannot be any pre-condition. Leaders from tribal and student organizations have also expressed willingness to join the BJP. You will see the results soon."

"Our aim is to oust the Congress. We will capture Assam first as part the BJP's plan to wrest power in all the NE states," he said. Sources meanwhile said the rebel legislators may join the saffron party in two phases.