Assam Congress plays down defection; Borah attacks Gaurav Gogoi’s leadership

Guwahati, Feb 18: A day after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah would join the BJP on February 22, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Gaurav Gogoi mounted a sharp counterattack, asserting that the defection would have little impact on the party.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Gogoi said leaders who had switched to the BJP in the past had become “insignificant” in their political careers and claimed Borah would meet the same fate.

“We have seen the example of Sarbananda Sonowal and many more. The AGP is on the verge of extinction. I don’t think I need to speak specifically about Bhupen Borah joining the BJP,” Gogoi said.

He maintained that the 2026 Assembly elections would be a contest between the “real Congress and the old Congress”, alleging that the BJP was now filled with former Congress leaders.

“The BJP is full of old Congress leaders who were most corrupt during the 15-year Congress rule in the state,” he added.

Gogoi also hit back at Sarma’s remark describing Borah as the “last Hindu leader” in the Congress. “The Chief Minister is Assam’s Jinnah. He should stop giving Hindu certificates to politicians,” Gogoi alleged.

Downplaying the political fallout of Borah’s exit, Gogoi said the Congress as an organisation would remain unaffected.

“The Congress is like an ocean; we are all just water drops in it. The party existed long before our fathers and forefathers. Bhupen Borah’s leaving will not impact our prospects in the Assembly polls,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia echoed the sentiment, stressing that while every vote matters, the party’s identity transcends individual leaders.

“I am not just going to talk about Borah. We have had experience of losing by one vote, which is why we must attract every voter. It is necessary for us to show allegiance to the party,” Saikia said.

“One should not think that the party will lose everything because one leader exits. The public will remember us, not the position,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Borah had launched a strong critique of the state Congress leadership, claiming that the party’s Assam unit was no longer effectively under Gogoi’s control.

“Gaurav Gogoi is just the face of the Assam Congress now. Rakibul Hussain is the sole base of the party,” Borah said in an interview.

Referring to Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain’s electoral performance, Borah claimed that Hussain’s massive victory margin underscored where the party’s real organisational strength lay.

Borah further said that after he submitted his resignation letter to the Congress high command on Monday, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had personally called him.

“Rahul Gandhi spoke at length about the relationship we shared since 2007 and how we helped the party grow. But he did not say a word about my resignation letter,” Borah claimed.

Chief Minister Sarma had announced on Tuesday evening that Borah would formally join the BJP on February 22, following a meeting between the two at the Chief Minister’s residence.

The exchange of barbs has intensified the narrative of internal churn within the Congress ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, even as the BJP projects Borah’s induction as a significant political gain.

With inputs from PTI