Congress has asked Mr. Goswami to explain the reason for leaving the party.
Guwahati:
In another blow to the Congress after the departure of leaders like former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and former MP Milind Deora, the party’s Assam working president has stepped down and is likely to join the BJP.
Former Jorhat MLA Rana Goswami announced his resignation in a letter to Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal on Wednesday. He wrote, “I humbly submit that I am tendering my resignation as the Working President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and an active member of the Indian National Congress.”
Sources said Mr Goswami is now in New Delhi where he is likely to meet BJP President JP Nadda and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The party’s core group from Assam and the national leadership are meeting in the capital to decide on candidates for the Lok Sabha elections from the state and consider how many seats should be left for their allies.
Mr Goswami was at the forefront of preparations for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam and was questioned by the police a few days ago after a case was registered for deviating from the route for the march. However, on Sunday the former MLA had quit the post of organizational in-charge in Upper Assam citing “various political reasons”.
Earlier this month, another working Congress president, Kamalakhya De Purkayastha, had resigned and extended his support to the BJP government in the state. Fellow Congress MLA Basant Das also joined him. Excluding him, the Congress now has only 23 MLAs in the 126-member assembly.
Mr. Goswami’s exit will increase the problems of Congress before the Lok Sabha elections. The party suffered a crushing defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday and is now facing the possibility of toppling its government in Himachal Pradesh, the only state in north India where it is in power.
Assam sends 14 MPs to the Lok Sabha and the BJP had won nine seats in 2019.
‘Because of the state’
Reacting to Mr Goswami’s resignation, Congress MLA and leader of opposition in Assam, Debabrata Saikia, said, “Rana Goswami was a very senior leader. He emerged in the party from the grassroots level. He was an MLA twice and also worked Did.” National level. I think Congress has given him whatever he could get as a dedicated party worker. He may have been dissatisfied or there may have been some other things, which we do not know about, that forced him to leave the party he has served. for such a long time.”
“I appeal to him to tell us the reason for leaving the party. If he tells us then we can act on his complaints and the party can grow. Opposition is necessary in Indian democracy and we cannot allow an opposition-free India.” Mr. Saikia added.
On Mr Purkayastha’s support for the BJP, Mr Saikia claimed he was harassed by the vigilance department during the Durga Puja festival last year. “He was under severe pressure and was forced to go to the BJP. Kamalakhya resigned because he could not face the onslaught from the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies in the fake cases.”
‘Will welcome them’
When Mr Sarma was asked on Tuesday about the possibility of Mr Goswami joining the BJP, the Chief Minister had denied having any such information but said, “He is a powerful leader of the Congress and if he joins the BJP If anyone joins, I will welcome it.” ,
Hinting that many more Congress MLAs may join his party, Mr Sarma was quoted by news agency PTI as saying that only a few Muslim MLAs will remain in the Assam Congress by the time the next assembly elections are held in the state in 2026.
