Veteran Congress leader quits after getting notice for criticising PPC chief

Bora, meanwhile, added spice to his decision to float a new party by claiming that the proposed party would also have the blessings of state assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi. The Speaker, who has been at loggerheads with chief minister Tarun Gogoi over several issues since more than a year, however, was not available for his comments.

“The Congress party in Assam is being run with the help of criminals and syndicates,” Hiranya Bora had alleged before quitting the party. He also described APCC president Anjan Dutta as a tainted person who is currently under the CBI scanner in connection with the Saradha scam. Bora also raised questions about the APCC chief’s declared educational qualifications, and said that the Congress cannot win the 2016 assembly elections under his leadership.

APCC president Dutta, however, dismissed Bora as a spent force who was no longe significant in state or party politics. “I don’t think it is proper to waste time and energy on the allegations and subsequent resignation of Hiranya Bora. An MLA of the distant past, Bora could not take even half-a-dozen Congress members with him. Moreover, when 51 MLAs including a few ministers could not do anything despite raising the banner of revolt last year, who is bothered about Bora?” the APCC chief said.

But Bora’s resignation is likely to have some bearing on the Congress party especially as it is gearing up for the Assam assembly elections due in March-April 2016. “Dutta as APCC chief last week said the Congress will win only 21 seats. Is that how a person supposed to lead the party in a crucial election speaks?” Bora said.