Nagaon: A tense situation arose today at the Nagaon District Congress office following the BJP joining of Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency MP Pradyut Bordoloi (Pradyut Bordoloi Joins BJP). Today, hundreds of Nagaon District Congress workers tore and burned the banners and posters of Pradyut Bordoloi at the District Congress office, Rajiv Bhavan. The agitated Congress workers raised slogans of “Pradyut Bordoloi murdabad” and “Pradyut Bordoloi traitor,” creating a turbulent atmosphere.
The Congress workers expressed their anger against Pradyut Bordoloi, stating that he joined BJP without consulting any leader or worker from Nagaon.
“I am suffering the consequences of the sin of bringing him to the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency” — MP Rakibul Hussain
Regarding MP Pradyut Bordoloi’s defection and joining of BJP, former minister and Dhubri MP Hussain held a press conference and expressed his reaction. MP Hussain said, “The same person who once called Himanta Biswa Sarma the worst is now expressing admiration for the Chief Minister. What can we say? I will speak more after the election manifesto is released.”
MP Hussain said, “About one and a half years ago, he welcomed the Chief Minister with a bouquet of flowers. The one he went with has gone, and now he has gone too. We had already told the All India Congress Committee that Pradyut Bordoloi and others like him were agents of Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. But they did not believe us.”
MP Rakibul Hussain, commenting that he is suffering the consequences of bringing MP Pradyut Bordoloi to Nagaon, said, “Some say that I was the one who brought him to the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency. But now I feel that bringing him was a sin on my part. I am now suffering the consequences of that sin.”
He said, “Some old BJP leaders, deeply dissatisfied with Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, were sharing internal BJP information with us. They expressed unwillingness to contest this election from their own constituencies.” MP Hussain also made a significant remark that BJP is now trying to contest elections in those constituencies by bringing people from Congress.
Commenting that Pradyut Bordoloi is a strategic person, Hussain said, “Pradyut Bordoloi was the person who made sharp criticism of the Chief Minister in Assamese and English and became very dear to Congress. How can he now praise the Chief Minister? Of course, these developments have caused distress to our dedicated Congress workers.”
When a journalist asked whether he thinks the party will be harmed by leaders leaving one after another, Hussain replied, “Many leaders have left Congress — even after big leaders like Pranab Mukherjee and Sharad Pawar left, Congress has not been destroyed as some thought. Congress is still vibrant today.”
On the allegation brought by Pradyut Bordoloi that Congress workers were neglected, MP Hussain said, “How can Congress workers be neglected when he himself was the MP from Nagaon?” Regarding a journalist’s question about whether Bordoloi left because the Congress party ticket for Laharighat did not go as per his wishes, Hussain replied, “How does he know such inside information, because even now the party candidate’s name has not been made public?”
Reaction of Nagaon District Congress President
Regarding MP Pradyut Bordoloi’s resignation from Congress and joining of BJP, Nagaon District Congress President Runumoni Bora said before the media, “If there was any mistake within the party, MP Pradyut Bordoloi should have reformed it from within the party. But he did not do that.”
“Instead, defecting just a few days before the election has angered the workers. As a senior leader, he should not have done this. The ordinary grassroots workers are still standing firm.” Meanwhile, the Nagaon District Congress President commented that she does not know whether MP Pradyut Bordoloi had planned his defection in advance.
Reaction of former MLA Dr. Durlabh Chamuah:
Former MLA and senior Congress leader Dr. Durlabh Chamuah said regarding Pradyut Bordoloi’s joining of BJP, “This was inevitable. There were already discussions that he was close to Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma at the time he contested the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency for the second time. There were reports that he had made contact with BJP’s central leadership. That has now been proven true.”
Former MLA Dr. Chamuah said, “Pradyut Bordoloi’s identity is only as a Congress leader. What identity would he have had without being a Congress leader? Congress gave him respect, made him an MP. It was from Congress that he became a minister. Therefore, he should not have done such a thing just a few days before the election.”