Guwahati: Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Bora has finally turned “saffron.” After joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bora was given only nine minutes to deliver his speech (Bhupen Bora Joins BJP).
Bhupen Bora, who resigned from the Congress on February 16, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday. Bora, who had long been actively opposed to the BJP as the former president of the Assam Pradesh Congress, received requests from the state Congress leadership to withdraw his resignation. Even Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma reached out to him following his resignation.
However, instead of accepting the Congress leadership’s request, Bhupen Kumar Bora decided to join the BJP, reportedly following advice from Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. Acting on that decision, Bora visited the Assam state BJP headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan, on Sunday morning and formally entered the party.
At Vajpayee Bhawan, he officially accepted primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Speaking at a function held at the state BJP headquarters, Bora said, “When I was in the Congress, I stood before Rahul Gandhi wearing a shirt stained red with blood, and today I have joined the BJP. I did not submit my resignation from the Congress in order to join the BJP. I had hoped that the Congress leadership would counsel me. Instead, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma informed me about the respect one receives after joining the BJP and about the party’s objectives, following which I decided to join the BJP.”
Mentioning that he was allotted only nine minutes to speak after joining the BJP, Bora also recited a poem during his address. He described Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma as one of the most influential leaders of the Northeast in the entire country.
On Sunday, Bora formally joined the BJP in the presence of state BJP president Dilip Saikia, general secretary Diplu Ranjan Sharma, minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, and several other senior leaders at the state party headquarters.
Bhupen Borah to Join BJP on February 22, Says Himanta Biswa Sarma