Assam’s political landscape was thrust into sharper focus as Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi sharply criticised Bhupen Kumar Borah’s planned move to the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing the former Congress state chief of leaking confidential party information and delivering a blow to organisational unity. Gogoi’s remarks came amid heightened tensions within the opposition ranks ahead of pivotal assembly elections, with Borah set to formally join the BJP on 22 February, a shift confirmed by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a media briefing in Guwahati this week.
Addressing the media, Gogoi framed Borah’s swift pivot to the BJP as symptomatic of deeper fissures in the state Congress. He said long-standing concerns within the party about the flow of internal discussions and strategic deliberations into rival circles had been vindicated by recent developments, pointing to alleged leaks that, he suggested, benefitted those close to the state’s ruling leadership.
“We always wondered how confidential details of our meetings were leaked to a particular journalist linked to Himanta Biswa Sarma,” Gogoi said, underscoring unease among party ranks over breaches of internal trust. “We tried our best not to believe in these rumours and speculation, but now these rumours have come to light, and it is true.”
The assertion of leaks follows an intense public exchange between Gogoi and Borah that laid bare personal and ideological rifts within the Congress unit. Borah had resigned from the party earlier this week, and in his own statements to the media he criticised the concentration of decision-making power within the state unit, singling out Dhubri Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain as a dominant influence, a claim that highlights internal factionalism.
Borah’s criticisms extended to organisational strategy and ticket distribution ahead of elections, pointing to differences over the party’s alliance choices and candidate selections that he argued sidelined seasoned leaders and weakened grassroots confidence.
In his rebuttal on Wednesday, Gogoi dismissed Borah’s critique of party leadership as a pretext for switching allegiances, asserting that joining the BJP came with a prescribed narrative which, in his view, Borah was now obliged to espouse. “All of this is just an excuse to join the BJP. When someone joins the BJP, they are given a script, and they have to read that script,” he said, reflecting broader criticism from Congress about defections ahead of elections.
Gogoi also sought to underplay the political significance of Borah’s exit, arguing that leaders who have defected to the BJP in the past have seen their political relevance diminish. In remarks intended to project confidence, he cited examples of other figures who joined the ruling party and did not maintain their electoral foothold, signalling his belief that Borah’s shift would not necessarily translate into long-term gains for the BJP in Assam’s electoral contests.
State political calculations are now being watched closely by observers as the BJP positions Borah as a strategic asset, portraying his induction as a means to consolidate caste and community support ahead of elections that are expected to be fiercely contested. Chief Minister Sarma, who has welcomed Borah into the BJP fold, described him as a leader rooted in the Assamese mainstream, framing the move as a politically advantageous acquisition.
Political analysts say the public fallout between Gogoi and Borah reflects broader challenges within the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, where leadership transitions and differing visions for coalition building have stirred internal debate and shifted campaign narratives.