In a fresh development that is likely to hurt the Congress party, former Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora resigned from the grand old party on Sunday, alleging that several of its leaders were conspiring with the state BJP unit, particularly with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
In his resignation letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Bora highlighted that infighting within the party has helped the BJP, and compelled him to leave despite having been a member since his student days in 1976.
“I am very pained to inform you that it is an open secret in Assam that instead of fighting against BJP, a section of senior most leaders of Assam PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) have been maintaining secret understanding with BJP govt mainly with the Chief Minister,” said Bora in his resignation letter.
It is pertinent to note here that ever since its genesis, the Congress party is now facing its biggest challenge against the BJP, along with other state bastion cadre parties such as the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). At the epitome of its failure is “patronage’’ and “favouritism”, which have taken the party to its lowest.
Bora joined the TMC right after quitting Congress. He has alleged that some of the Congress party leaders “paved the way for the BJP to win both the Rajya Sabha seats” from Assam recently. He had been renominated by the Congress for the election to the Upper House of Parliament, unsuccessfully contesting the recently held election. Bora also stated that instead of being united in fighting the BJP, which is a “serious threat to the democracy, constitution and secularism and economy of our country”, Congress leaders at different levels are “fighting each other for their vested interests”.
“This has given the BJP ample advantages to grow in every nook and corner in one hand and another, demoralizing millions of Congress workers of the country,” wrote Bora, adding that the leaders in Assam are “not an exception”.
“Under this backdrop, my conscience does not allow (me) to continue in Congress party where the party’s interest and ideology are being compromised in favour of BJP for some vested interest of few leaders,” he also added.
Looking at the present political environment, the biggest threat for the Congress party is the infighting within its party cadre, and lack of reforms, as also highlighted by members of the G23 every now and then.
Much to the dismay of the Congress party, Senior Congress leader PJ Kurien also levelled harsh criticisms against Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, accusing him of being an unstable leader and a man who jumped ship after the 2019 general election defeat. Kurien asserted that someone other than Rahul should become party president, and that a person from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family should become the chief.
The BJP and other regional parties have also blamed nepotism for Congress mismanagement and letting the country down, repeatedly. It is high time for the Congress to reorganise its party cadre and bring reforms for the sake of its own survival.
