Assam CM's Surprise Script Flip: Is Bhupen Borah a Villain or a Victim?

Guwahati: In a dramatic political development, former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), triggering a wave of criticism from within the Congress party. The move comes against the backdrop of internal disputes and controversies that have marked Borah’s recent political journey.

Assam Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur expressed her dismay over Borah’s defection in a video statement on Tuesday night, describing the developments as unprecedented political drama. She said,

“I have seen many political drama in my life, but recent acting done by Bhupen Borah ahead of joining the BJP is sad, when lakhs of supporters take such leaders on their shoulders who perform acting so well, should have thought about them as well, but now after such acting for the sake of their own political benefit made these supporters in trouble, thus, now time has come to get aware of these faces.”

Borthakur recalled the stark contrast between Borah’s departure from Congress and his welcoming of the BJP Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at his residence.

“It is so surprsing to see that Bhupen Borah has made the welcome so well to welcome the chief minister at his residence earlier this evening as like the chief minister is coming as the newly wedded groom. I have no regrets, we did went to Bhupen Borah’s residence to convince him for sake of the leadership, but he had back stabbed us only for his political benefits. I was part of the BJP for 17 years, in 2012, I resigned from the portfolio and till then I worked for BJP till 2016 then I stepped back from BJP and then I joined Congress in 2021. Till day before yesterday you were part of the Congress parivartan jatra and then this evening you welcomed chief minister with incense sticks and watching your wife’s happiness was top of the world.”

Borthakur also criticized Borah for allegedly disregarding ethical standards and personal respect in politics:

“You have no self respect at all, you have no ethics at all. I am not hurt today, but I am ashamed that I had to work under you in Congress. In politics, humiliation does happen, people are always at your back in political parties but that doesn’t mean one should quit party in the mid ways like that. Even I faced such challenges while I was in BJP and then when BJP formed the government, I had quit BJP and joined Congress, I know my responsibility for the people of Assam.”

It is to be noted that the political shift coincides with a highly controversial incident during the Congress ‘Parivartan Yatra’. Borah was reported to have made a vulgar remark on a bus during the campaign, which drew widespread condemnation. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticized the act and referred the matter to the state women’s commission for further investigation. However, Sarma later clarified that Borah would still be accountable to the ongoing inquiry even after joining BJP, stating,

“But that day, Bhupen Borah actually wanted to express that Gaurav Gogoi is backstabbing him, there is video and audio available on this, thus, Bhupen Borah will just have to answer to the queries on his remark, that’s it.”

Adding to the turmoil, the Chief Minister on February 6 had publicly attacked the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and its president Gaurav Gogoi, highlighting infighting within the party. Sarma alleged that the Parivartan Yatra, which began on a bus, was disrupted by a dispute between Gogoi and Borah.

“APCC president Gaurav Gogoi started the ‘Parivartan Yatra’ on a bus and got into a fight with former APCC president Bhupen Borah. Just yesterday, inside the bus itself, both were about to engage in a scuffle, and Jitendra Singh had to intervene to stop the fight,” Sarma claimed.

Sarma further criticized Gogoi’s leadership and the lack of coordination among Congress leaders, questioning the effectiveness of the Parivartan Yatra.

“This is how Gaurav Gogoi is doing ‘Parivartan’—by not telling his own party leaders about the programme… They can do a ‘Parivartan Yatra’, but what is this yatra where they stop midway and directly go from Guwahati to Batadrava? Does that mean there are no supporters on the road? After becoming the Jorhat MP, how many nights has he spent in Jorhat? I think I have visited Jorhat more times than him. People are watching everything, and they will take the right decision.”

While Congress has yet to officially respond to Sarma’s allegations, the departure of Borah has added to the perception of instability within the party. The sequence of events—from internal disputes, controversial remarks, attempts to retain Borah, to his eventual alignment with BJP—highlights both personal ambitions and organizational challenges in Assam’s political landscape.

Also Read: Congress Rift Deepens in Assam as Bhupen Borah’s BJP Switch Triggers Dissent in Samaguri