Guwahati:

Assam MLA Mrinal Saikia has urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to ask his cabinet colleague, Jayanta Mallabaruah, to keep his mouth shut as “his style of talking” is damaging the party’s chances in the Lok Sabha polls, bringing to fore the rift fight between the old guard within the BJP and those who switched from the Congress.

The election for 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam was conducted in 3 phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19, followed by April 26, and May 7. The votes will be counted on June 4.

“Respected HCM @himantabisw sir, pl tell @jayanta_malla to keep his mouth shut about party affairs. He should realise by now that his style of talking has already spoiled thousands of @bjp4assam votes in this #election2024,” Mr Saikia, Khumtai MLA, posted on X.

MLA Saikia made the statement in the context of Mr Mallabaruah’s – who crossed over from the Congress in 2015 – remarks against some BJP old guards.

“While there are people who have been at the party for the last 50 years, however, they hardly gave time to the party. Therefore, your contribution to the party will determine the amount of dedication and commitment you have for the party,” Mr Mallabaruah had earlier told the press.

Adding to the debate, Rajen Gohain, former Union Minister of State for Railways and former MP of Nagaon, said that there is resentment and it will hurt party’s chances in the polls.

“Party workers are being neglected and this will hurt the party in this election across the country. In the party there is resentment,” Mr Gohain told the press.

“No one becomes leader sans party worker and workers should not be ignored. It is the workers who get us introduced to the people. Old party workers if ignored have its consequences. I wish the party well; however, if there is damage it will only be because of the leaders who are ignoring the old workers in the party. Because of these people’s mistakes, BJP’s position will be bad one day,” he added.

Intervening in the row, Chief Minister Himanta Sarma said the party is strong enough to take action against any leader.

“On the voting day, speaking against the party and giving certificates as old and new time is unnecessary. Our state party president will forward the comments to the national president, and he will take appropriate action. It will be decided if such a comment from a person who can speak against Prime minister Narendra Modi on voting is acceptable. How the party will decide, and I believe our party is so strong to take decisions against any person,” said Mr Sarma.

Tezpur:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that state Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah will join the saffron party by early next year.

However, Mr Borah on Tuesday dismissed the CM’s claim and stated that Mr Sarma was playing ‘mind games’ to divert attention from real issues.

Mr Sarma termed the grand old party as a ‘fixed deposit’ of the BJP, from which it draws members whenever needed.

“I can say that by January-February 2025, Bhupen Borah will join the BJP. I have kept two constituencies ready for him, though won’t name those now,” Mr Sarma said, talking to reporters at the residence of the party’s Sonitpur constituency candidate Ranjit Dutta on Monday evening.

Terming the opposition Congress a ‘fixed deposit’ of the BJP, Mr Sarma claimed that ‘whenever needed, we bring them in’.

“Except for a few ‘blue-blooded’ few ones, the rest are all ours,” the BJP leader added.

Mr Sarma maintained that voting for Congress means voting for Rahul Gandhi, and for BJP means, voting for Modi.

“Those who love Modi and want Bharat to be a ‘vishwa guru’ will vote for BJP. Rahul Gandhi’s own future is dark, the future of his followers is even darker,” the CM claimed.

He also claimed that the Congress candidate in Sonitpur will also join the saffron party if he makes a phone call to him.

“The one who is contesting here will join us instantly if I call, but I will call after election. We don’t want them to withdraw nomination as we have to show Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji the support of the people.

“Hanuman showed his love by tearing apart his chest. In Kalyug, we have to show the love through votes,” Mr Sarma said.

Addressing a press conference at Jorhat on Tuesday, Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah dismissed the CM’s claim and said that Mr Sarma was playing ‘mind games’ to divert attention from real issue.

“I want to ask, why should I join the BJP? If I join, will the six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe status for years get it? Will new jobs be created? Will landless indigenous families get land rights?” Mr Borah asked.

“The CM is playing mind games. Whenever we talk about burning issues, he tries to divert attention as he has no solutions. But the Congress will not fall into the trap of such mind games”, the state Congress chief added.

Congress has fielded Premlal Ganju, a state party general secretary, against sitting MLA Dutta, who is also a former state minister and ex-BJP state president. The constituency goes to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

The BJP is contesting in 11 seats out of total 14 in the state, leaving two for AGP and one for United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).

The saffron party has nine MPs from the state in the outgoing Lok Sabha, with its alliance partners having no representation. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Guwahati:

A month before the Lok Sabha elections in Assam, the ruling BJP’s top minority leader in the state resigned and joined the Congress on Wednesday. Aminul Haque Laskar became the Assam BJP’s first minority MLA in 2016.

Once a deputy speaker of Assam assembly, Mr Laskar was appointed the chairperson of the Assam State Commission for Minorities. In 2021, he lost to All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF)’s Karim Uddin Barbhuiya.

The leader told NDTV that he chose to resign as the BJP “lost its political ideology” in Assam. “I had been with BJP for 13 years, the BJP of those days and now is lot different. That time BJP used to talk about change,” he said.

The leader joined Congress in the presence of party’s Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh Alwar on Wednesday.

Mr Laskar also warned that his exit will affect the ruling party’s credibility among the minority community and alleged that the BJP’s ideology was now becoming similar to Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF.

“When I became BJP MLA in 2016 , I was they one one across this region from Muslim community but now that I have left it will harm BJP’s credibility among Muslims in Assam. BJP is now hand in glove in Assam with AIUDF,” he said.

Assam will vote in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.