Congress is my old home & I would love to return: Ripun Bora
Looking ahead to the 2026 elections, Bora made his agenda clear - to unite the opposition and take on the BJP.
AT Photo: A file picture of Ripun Bora during his Congress days
Guwahati, Sept 02: Former Member of Parliament (MP) from Assam, Ripun Bora, who joined the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) in April 2022 with high hopes, has now parted ways with the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
On Sunday, Bora announced his resignation, citing the party’s ineffective response to the concerns of Assam.
In an exclusive interview with The Assam Tribune on Monday, a day after submitting his resignation to AITC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Bora reflected on his departure.
“I had many hopes when I joined the Trinamool Congress. I left the Congress to join AITC, inspired by Mamata Banerjee’s success in preventing the BJP from taking power in Bengal,” he said.
However, after two years with the Trinamool, Bora realised that the party was not resonating with the people of Assam. “While the people of Assam admire Mamata didi, they are not willing to accept AITC. They perceive it as a regional party of Bengal,” he explained.
Bora highlighted that this perception made it difficult for him to achieve his goals within the party.
“The people of Assam will not accept a regional party from West Bengal. Since they do not align with the party’s ideologies, I will not be able to fulfil the expectations set for me,” said the former Education Minister of Assam.
Reflecting on his long association with the Congress, where he served as Education Minister in Tarun Gogoi’s cabinet from 2001 to 2006, Bora spoke fondly of his old party.
“Congress is my home. Even after joining the Trinamool, I never abandoned Congress ideals. I believe the Indian National Congress is like a large tree, with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Trinamool as its two branches,” he said.
Bora expressed his willingness to return to the Congress fold, placing the decision in the party’s hands. “I was always with Congress at heart. I would love to return to my old home, but it’s up to the Congress whether they take me back or not. I’m ready if they are,” he stated.
Looking ahead to the 2026 elections, Bora made his agenda clear - to unite the opposition and take on the BJP. “We have to fight this battle head-on. The opposition must come together to prevent the BJP from coming to power in 2026. That is our main goal,” he declared.
In response to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks about his possible return to Congress, Bora fired back, “If he knows so much about my intentions, how did he fail to know about the bombs and explosives? How did he not know about the bombs planted in 25 locations across Assam on the night of August 14?”
Bora described the current political landscape in Assam as “terrifying,” accusing Chief Minister Sarma of practicing “communal politics” to gain votes.
