Why Ex-Chief of Assam Congress Bhupen Borah Quit Party. The Inside Story

The appointment spree of the Congress's Central leadership since last year -- starting with former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's son and MP Gaurav Gogoi as the party's state unit chief -- and more, now appears to have had a steep price tag.

Gogoi's appointment, made last year, was meant to prevent the BJP from scoring a hat-trick in Assam. Another spate of appointments took place this year -- Priyanka Gandhi as the head of the screening committee, and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as observers.

The upshot --just before Priyanka Gandhi was to begin her first visit to Assam, the party's former state chief Bhupen Borah resigned, sending shock waves through the ranks. Many believe that he would join the BJP.

From Delhi to Guwahati, the Congress high command swung into action. Rahul Gandhi spoke to Borah over the phone, and state in-charge Jitendra Singh went to his home to persuade him. He later claimed that Borah had withdrawn his resignation. 

Borah, however, has asked for a day's time to make a final decision. Sources close to him believe that he will not withdraw his resignation.

Borah has not explained his reasons for resigning. "Everyone knows the reason for my resignation; it all started with Behali," he had told reporters.

Five years ago, in 2021, when the Congress suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the BJP for the second consecutive time in Assam, Borah, a two-time MLA, was appointed president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee.

Borah worked tirelessly for nearly four years. He even walked across Assam -- on a march modelled after Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra -- and was seen on the streets protesting against the Himanta Biswa Sarma government.

But after the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress Central leadership ignored Borah's opinion and decided on the candidate for the by-election in the Behali assembly seat. 

In May last year, Bhupen Borah was replaced by Gaurav Gogoi as the leader of the Assam Congress. Sources close to Borah say he was hurt by the party's disregard for his hard work. Although Borah was given responsibility for the coalition committee, Gogoi was making all the important decisions.

Many state Congress leaders, including Bhupen Borah, are not comfortable with Gogoi's working style. 

Sources say recently Gogoi, contrary to tradition, had accompanied a non-Hindu leader to a religious site in Majuli. Sources close to him said the incident was apparently a major issue for Borah, who was already feeling neglected, and he submitted his resignation to the party high command. 

Interestingly, another leader, Ripun Bora, who served as the state president of the Assam Congress just before Bhupen Borah's departure, joined the Trinamool Congress in 2022. However, he returned home within two years.

All eyes are now on Borah's final decision. His departure has certainly dealt a major blow to the Congress. Borah is known as a down-to-earth leader and an effective speaker. He is particularly considered knowledgeable about Assamese culture.