Sarbanda Sonowal admits Bhattacharyya's leadership

'Now we believe that under his leadership we'll be able to form the government at Dispur in 2016' —Sonowal

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 26: That the fate of the BJP in Assam hinges on the leadership of state party president Siddhartha Bhattacharyya has come to the fore, that too, from none other than Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs (independent charge) Sarbanda Sonowal.

In his speech at the party rally addressed by tiol party president Amit Shah at Khapara in the city today, Sonowal made it crystal clear that the party under the able leadership of Bhattacharyya is strong enough to form the government at Dispur in 2016. "Today's party rally and the membership drive of the party in Assam crossing 25 lakh are enough to script his success story by Bhattacharyya. Now we believe that under his leadership we'll be able to form the government at Dispur in 2016," Sonowal said.

Over the years, there has been a rift between Bhattacharyya and Sonowal in the party in Assam even before Sonowal becoming a Union minister. Sonowal, according to party sources, had been on the notion that there was none other than him in Assam to lead the BJP from the front. "However, his today's speech is enough an admittance on his part that Bhattacharyya is strong enough to lead the party from the front, and that he isn't the only capable leader of the party in the state," party sources said, and added: "In fact, Sonowal is fast losing his hold over the party in Assam, including his constituency. Lakhimpur, where Sonowal made it to the Parliament from, is a flood-ravaged district. In the past ten months after Sonowal becoming a Union minister there has been no works to control floods. The people of Dhemaji, Dhakuakha and Lakhimpur are of the opinion now that the BJP is going the Congress way and doing precious little to control floods in the  State, and the politician who is the first to face the wreath of the voters their is none other than Sonowal. This is because in the first spell of rains in the state Pashchim Dhemaji, which falls under Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency, faced the first wave of floods of the year. The district will be ravaged by floods at least till October this year, a bitter experience that will shutter the image of Sonowal. During this period, Dhemaji, Dhakuakha and Lakhimpur remain spped with rest of the country."