In a span of just two weeks, the Assam Congress has seen two of its three working presidents – Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Rana Goswami – and one of its MLAs, Basanta Das, jump ship. While Das and Purkayastha declared their support to the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government, Goswami formally joined the BJP. CM Sarma has claimed that all the Congress MLAs barring a few Muslim legislators have been in touch with him and would join the BJP before the 2026 Assembly elections. With the pressure piling on the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah spoke to The Indian Express at length about the situation and his party's plans to deal with it. Excerpts: The developments of the last few weeks paint a picture of extreme disarray within the Assam Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. What is your assessment? Since 2014, the core commitments the BJP made to the people of Assam included ST status for six communities, increasing tea garden worker wages, flood-free Assam, unemployment-free Assam, corruption-free Assam, Brahmaputra dredging, building an express highway. There was a big slogan “BJP ahibo, bideshi jabo (BJP will come, foreigners will go)”. Assam Accord Clause 5 and 6 were to be implemented within 100 days. There was a promise that the drinking water and artificial flooding problem in Guwahati city would be solved within 100 days… BJP hasn’t been able to fulfil any of these tall promises. The Congress is the only party which is raising these issues at different times. And the Congress is the alternative to the BJP for the people of Assam. That’s why they (BJP) have started a psychological war. So that people develop a trust deficit that even though Congress is saying such things, its people are actually with the BJP… It is a very old story for individuals to leave a party. Even the present Chief Minister (Sarma) switched to the BJP (from the Congress) under compulsion, not by choice. His family was interrogated by CBI in Kolkata several times. At that time, the BJP’s central observer SS Ahluwalia came to Guwahati and addressed a press meet that the BJP would re-interrogate about the Louis Berger and Sharda scam, and accordingly it was taken up by the CBI Kolkata office and then he (Sarma) joined the BJP. In 2011, there were 11 BJP MPs. Under Himanta Biswa Sarma's initiative – he was then a Congress minister – they joined Congress. That was also a psychological war with the BJP and the public… But ultimately in 2014, they won 8 Lok Sabha seats and in 2016, they came to power with thumping majority. So the people of Assam understand clearly who HBS is. This same person when he was a Congress minister, he announced so many times in public meetings that the AGP head office will become a marriage function hall. Now he is running the government with AGP. Definitely, some people will leave Congress, join BJP and it will be a temporary setback. But this is to suppress the main issues, and he (Sarma) is giving homework to the media regularly. Kamalakhya and Rana Goswami could have joined the BJP on the same day because it was all already planned. But why did he do it one after the other? Because his plan is to give homework to the media, that for three days, the headline will be Kamalakhya, three days it will be Rana Goswami. But the fact remains that veteran Congress members are turning their backs on the party. Has there been some introspection about it? After Independence, Congress had been out of power in Assam only for a maximum of five years. There was an assumption that Congress will always come back after five years, in line with the history of Assam politics. This is the first time in Assam’s history that the party is out of power for the second consecutive time. So up to 2021, the erosion was not so much because there was an assumption that the Congress would definitely come back. Now BJP is creating an atmosphere across the country after our loss in Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh… After the exit of the Bihar Chief Minister there was a moment when it seemed like the INDIA alliance won’t pose a challenge to the NDA…These things have made our leaders question if its possible to return to power. There are two kinds of politics: organisational politics and power politics. Organisationally, yes. Kamalakhya and Rana Goswami were in a very high position. But they were out of power politics for 10 years. Pijush (minister Pijush Hazarika who left the Congress for the BJP in 2015), Kamalakhya, Rana Goswami were in the same boat when they were all in the Congress. Now where is Pijush and where are they. So there is craze for power and because of the environment in the country, people are not ready to wait in the Opposition. There is also compulsion. My brother and sister-in-law were transferred to different parts of the state. My house is under lock and key, I have been served notices twice by GMC to demolish my house. I have been served a notice from Jorhat police station. This type of torture is going on for several Congress leaders. I am not caring about it and am willing to face whatever consequences. But Kamalakhya himself told me, “Dada, I am under pressure. I need to pay Rs. 72 lakh for GST”. His brother and sister-in-law were called by CID. However, there has not been any boost to the Congress in the form of any prominent leaders from other parties joining it. So, how is the party going to revitalise itself? If I am representing a certain constituency, I will not allow anyone to emerge as a bigger figure than me for the sake of my future politics. There are so many second-line leaders waiting in the party who will now come forward and rise to the occasion. There are 84 applicants for the Lok Sabha election and we have only 14 seats in Assam. That means they have the courage to face the Lok Sabha elections. I am very sure by the panchayat elections around August, the party will be rejuvenated. We will fill up all our seats with a new Congress grassroots base. On the other hand, the BJP is daily bringing in some Congress leader or the other and is indirectly blocking their own people. There is no chance for the growth of the BJP’s committed traditional loyalists. They are very unhappy and are in touch with me. More than 60% people in Assam are against the government, it is our duty to unite these 60% voters and turn them into votes for us. Earlier during distribution of tickets, Congress’s main formula was winnability. This time it is winnability plus loyalty. If we will not identify the person’s loyalty to the party, we can face the same consequences that happened in Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Manipur… That process will start during Lok Sabha elections, during the panchayat elections and by September 2024, you will see a new Congress in Assam. Despite the formation of the United Opposition Forum in Assam and the INDIA alliance nationally, the AAP has already declared three candidates in Assam. Has seat sharing talks between alliance partners in Assam collapsed? I have discussed with the AAP leadership that if possible, AAP should contest in just one seat. AGP is one of the biggest regional parties in Assam. They have two cabinet ministers, one MP, but they are happily ready to contest in one seat as part of BJP’s alliance. UPPL is also a regional party with 12 MLAs but they are also ready to contest in one seat with the BJP… I don’t know what decision they (AAP) will finally take. Another decision our United Opposition Forum has taken is that for whatever reason, during the Lok Sabha election, if there will be two candidates from the INDIA alliance in one seat, our fight should not reach that level that we forget who the enemy is. Assam’s actual enemy is BJP, RSS and AIUDF. So we should restrain ourselves from giving such statement that will destroy the main narrative of fighting against the BJP and RSS.
