‘I received threats’: Ex-BJP leader Jayanta Das files as Independent from Dispur

Guwahati, Mar 23: Former senior BJP leader Jayanta Das, on Monday, filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from the Dispur Assembly constituency, two days after resigning from the party following a 35-year association.

Speaking to the press after filing his papers, Das alleged that he had faced “threats, propaganda and mental harassment” in the run-up to the nomination process, which he attributed to what he described as a “Congress-BJP nexus”.

He clarified that the term referred to Congress leaders who had joined the BJP. “I was under immense mental pressure. I received threats and filed my nomination with apprehension,” Das said, claiming there were attempts to obstruct his candidature.

Reflecting on his exit from the BJP, Das said he felt “relieved” after leaving the party, contrasting his current situation with his early years in the BJP’s youth wing.

“When I was in the Yuva Morcha, I worked with a free heart. Even if I skipped meals, there was satisfaction. Now there is mental hardship and exploitation,” he said.

Despite resigning, Das maintained that he continues to identify with the BJP’s ideology and framed his contest as a fight against the Congress.

He claimed that both his key rivals in Dispur, BJP candidate Pradyut Bordoloi, whom he described as a Congress defector, and Congress nominee Mira Borthakur, represent the same political stream.

“Dispur is the only constituency where two Congress candidates are contesting. I have been given a responsibility to defeat them,” he said.

Das also alleged that he had received warnings ahead of filing his nomination, prompting him to keep a low profile.

“Anything could have happened. I could have been stopped from reaching the office or a case could have been filed against me. That is why I came quietly,” he said, adding that he was “not scared” despite apprehensions of possible “mischief”.

He further accused sections within the BJP of running a misinformation campaign regarding his political journey, particularly claims about his re-entry into the party.

Detailing his past, Das said he had briefly joined the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in 2013 but returned to the BJP in 2014 after a short stint, noting that the AGP is currently an alliance partner of the BJP.

In a sharp attack on the state leadership, Das questioned the party’s current direction and alleged that long-time workers were being sidelined in favour of new entrants.

Das had recently resigned from the BJP after being denied a ticket from Dispur, citing “complete disregard” for his decades-long service.

He also indicated that he is considering forming a new political outfit, tentatively named “Trinamool BJP”, while asserting that his decision to contest independently was driven by both “circumstances” and “divine will”.