Singed by Bhupen Borah’s exit, Gaurav Gogoi now insinuates he was passing information to Himanta

“Bhupen Borah had said a few weeks ago that he is ready to take the oath in front of Maa Kamakhya Temple and Bordua Than and say that in this lifetime, he will never join the BJP. Now, how much value can the words of a person who can break his oath have,” he said.

Borah, who has been with the Congress for 32 years and was its state unit president from 2021 until last year when Gogoi took charge, submitted his resignation to the party leadership on Monday, and met Chief Minister Sarma in his house the next evening, after which Sarma announced that Borah will join the BJP on February 22.

Among other things, Borah has called his resignation a matter of “self-respect”, a result of being ignored within the party and of being sidelined by what he alleged is control exercised by MP Rakibul Hussain within the Assam Congress.

After he had submitted his resignation, senior leaders, including Gogoi; AICC General Secretary and in charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh; Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia; MP Pradyut Bordoloi; and AICC National Secretary and Assam co-in-charge, Manoj Chauhan, had visited Borah’s home to urge him to change his mind. Jitendra Singh had announced that the Congress had not accepted his resignation, and Gogoi had said that they sought forgiveness if they had “unknowingly caused hurt” to him.

Over the years, Chief Minister Sarma has asserted that he has informants within the Congress – a party he was with for over two decades before joining the BJP in 2015 – and claims to know insider decisions and workings in the party.

On Wednesday, Gogoi questioned Borah’s role in this stream of information to the Chief Minister.

“There are many questions in people’s minds. How do journalists close to the Chief Minister find out about things within the Congress? Many doubts and questions were there. They had told us too, but we didn’t want to believe them (about Borah being close to Sarma)… But the way in which the people who had fought for so long against the BJP had some problems within the Congress and joined the same BJP within a day… Did not wait for even one day. Chanakya had spoken about criticism, money, the stick, and creating divisions. I believe that two of these weapons have been used on Bhupen Borah,” he said.

Sukrita Baruah is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in Guwahati. From this strategic hub, she provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of India's North East, a region characterized by its complex ethnic diversity, geopolitical significance, and unique developmental challenges. Expertise and Experience Ethnic & Social Dynamics: Deep-dive coverage of regional conflicts (such as the crisis in Manipur) and peace-building efforts. Border & Geopolitics: Tracking developments along India’s international borders and their impact on local communities. Governance & Policy: Reporting on state elections, tribal council decisions, and the implementation of central schemes in the North East. Specialized Education Background: Prior to her current role, Sukrita was a dedicated Education Correspondent for The Indian Express in Delhi. This experience provided her with a sharp analytical lens for: Policy Analysis: Evaluating the National Education Policy (NEP) and university-level reforms. Student Affairs: Covering high-stakes stories regarding campus politics, national entrance exams, and the challenges within the primary and secondary education sectors. ... Read More

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