Fractures in the Congress' Assam unit - unwelcome with an election weeks away - made headlines Monday after former chief Bhupen Borah, threatened to quit a party he has represented for 32 years.
To reporters pressing for more information he would only say: "I don't deem it necessary to speak on why I resigned... you know a little about why, everyone knows. All of this started from Behali."
By Monday evening Borah had backed down; he said he had sought time to "think it over".
But the intervening hours were full of drama, including firefighting by Rahul Gandhi and jibes from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over Bhupen Borah's standing - as "the last Hindu leader" in the Congress' Assam ranks - a jibe that underlined the communal nature of this campaign.
Sarma also picked up on reports of Borah being disgruntled by being ignored as a potential Chief Minister with references to his own Congress-to-BJP jump and subsequent promotion; "... I was forced to leave (the Congress) ... was not made Chief Minister despite support of 58 MLAs."
And in the mix were rumours Borah could follow Sarma; Debabrata Saikia, a Congress MLA, pointed to Sarma saying he would visit Borah and claimed, "Yes, I feel ... (Borah will join BJP)."
What Bhupen Borah said
NDTV has now accessed a copy of Borah's resignation letter.
Borah told the Congress he had been "humiliated" and spoke of the need to "protect my self-respect".
He also complained of being "sidelined" and criticised Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi, his successor as chief of the Congress' state unit, over the 'Pakistan visit' controversy.
RECAP | Himanta Sarma "Not Chanakya": Gaurav Gogoi On 'Pak Link' Allegations
And Borah highlighted the growing influence of Rakibul Hussain who, he claimed, Gogoi had named "in every committee" and had become the de facto chief of the Congress' Assam ops.
Gogoi has been reduced to the "face of Assam Congress while Hussain is running the party", Borah said, and accused the latter of having launched an internal "campaign" to discredit him.
RECAP | Hours After Quitting, Senior Assam Congress Leader Makes Big U-Turn
"I did not have any problem with Gaurav Gogoi," Borah told NDTV in an exclusive interview, countering a narrative that he, and other Assam Congress leaders, are unhappy with Gogoi's leadership. "But now Gaurav is only the face... Rakibul Hussain is running the party."
He pointed out "I was the first one to defend Gogoi on Pak links" but questioned his current tactical relevance and nous in state politics, particularly with Himanta Sarma this week raking up the 'Pak' story - that Gogoi's wife, a British citizen, and a Pak national have 'deep links'.
Himanta Sarma and Gaurav Gogoi have gone toe-to-toe in the 'Pak link' row (File).
Borah also told NDTV that while he had agreed to the Congress' request - that he not resign - he remained disappointed by the apparent failure to address his concerns. "I am talking to my people, my family, and my well-wishers... and will take a decision by (Tuesday) evening."
He then fired a warning shot at the Congress; he declared he had every intention of contesting the election likely in April/May but remained uncertain about which party he might represent.
"Assam Congress has become the new AIUDF," he said, referring to the All India United Democratic Front led by Badruddin Ajmal. In terms of numbers, the AIUDF is the third-largest party in the current Assembly, behind the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.
Congress' firefighting
The Congress' central leadership reacted quickly to news of Borah's dissatisfaction and directed Gogoi to reach out personally. The Lok Sabha MP did so; visuals shared by news agency ANI showed him at Borah's home and deep in talks with the disgruntled leader.
Another senior Congress leader, Jitendra Singh, praised Borah to ANI, calling him "a very senior leader of ours" and tried to play down any rift as a "disagreement within the family".
Gogoi offered a byte too; the Assam Congress chief called Borah a "strong Congress leader" and a party "asset" committed to "fighting against evil". And then came the clearest indication of the Congress' firefighting; Gogoi said, "If any wrong was done, as a brother I apologise..."
RECAP | "Borah Our Asset, I Apologise If Wrong Was Done': Gaurav Gogoi
The outreach seemed to work; a mollified Borah said he would reconsider quitting.
What Sarma said
Himanta Sarma, a fierce critic of the Congress and the BJP's point-man in the northeast, ripped into his former party after the Borah news broke. He even offered him a "safe seat" in the BJP.
"He has not contacted us to join... (but) I will visit his house," Sarma said, the remark calculated to do (as it did) set alarm bells ringing in the Congress. "Three years ago, we were ready to welcome Bhupen Borah and give him a safe seat," the Chief Minister also said.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma (File).
Sarma also slammed the Congress' "terrible position" before the election and used Borah's Hindu background to fire what were widely seen as communal jabs
In many district offices of Congress meetings begin with a religious prayer from a particular community. The Congress in Assam is changing fast. People are noticing..." he said.
What happened in Behali?
Borah's cryptic reference to Behali, meanwhile, referred to the fallout of the Congress' big defeat in the 2021 Assam election. Borah was appointed chief of the party's Assam unit and went on a massive reconstruction drive, re-energising the cadre across the state.
But, when a by-poll for the Behali Assembly seat was announced in 2024, the Congress ignored Borah's opinion and picked its own the candidate; the seat was eventually retained by the BJP.
NDTV Explains | Why Bhupen Borah Quit Congress. The Inside Story
And, in May last year, Gogoi replaced Borah as Assam Congress President, a move that sources close to the latter said had left him hurt by the party's disregard for his hard work.
The Behali episode and a growing rift with Gogoi - Borah reportedly also objected to the latter breaking tradition by accompanying a non-Hindu leader to a religious site in Majuli - contributed to that resignation letter, NDTV was told.
What now?
Sarma is expected to visit Borah this evening and that suggests the Congress leader is, despite the party's firefighting, on his way out. What effect that will have on the election is unclear.
Borah is widely seen as a key leader for the Congress, though he did lose the Bihpuria seat - a Congress bastion since 1952 - to the BJP in the 2016 election and failed to win it back in 2021.
If he does switch it will, at the least, be a prestige blow to the Congress ahead of another election it cannot afford to lose.
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