Assam Congress Crisis Deepens as Former President Refuses to Withdraw Resignation

New Delhi:In a dramatic turn of events that has plunged the Assam Congress into deeper crisis, former state president Bhupen Kumar Borah has reportedly not withdrawn his resignation and remains tight-lipped as he was seen dodging and leaving a meeting midway with top party leaders. The development has sparked fresh uncertainty within the party, especially ahead of the Assam assembly polls. Earlier, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a 15-minute conversation with Borah following his resignation. Congress General Secretary and Assam in charge Jitendra Singh stressed the party’s internal unity and claimed that he had withdrawn his resignation, stating, “I thank Bhupen Borah for taking back his resignation. Senior Congress leader Bhupen Borah is an important member of the Congress family. He had sent his resignation to our party’s national president. Sometimes there are differences of opinion within the Congress family. The Congress president has not accepted his resignation. The party leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, held a long discussion with him. We have resolved this through discussions. He was in Congress for the last 30 years.” The senior Congress leaders, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi and APCC General Secretary Jitendra Singh, has also met Bhupen Borah’s in his residence following his resignation. The move came amid speculation over Borah’s future in the party after he removed the word “Congress” from his bio on X. He later confirmed that he had submitted his resignation but refrained from elaborating on the reasons. Borah has sent his resignation to APCC president Gaurav Gogoi and submitted a three page letter to the party high command expressing his unwillingness to continue with the organisation. Speaking to reporters, Borah confirmed his resignation but avoided detailing the reasons behind his move. “I don’t deem it necessary to speak on why I resigned. I have certainly resigned and sent my resignation to the high command. Whenever I think it necessary, I will call you and speak in detail,” he said. He hinted that the developments stemmed from internal issues beginning with the Behali episode. “You know a little about why I resigned; everyone knows it. All of this started from Behali,” he remarked. Borah also suggested dissatisfaction over the party’s internal decision making, particularly regarding participation in the Majuli yatra. “I have told the PCC chief that if the Congress party can’t even decide on who they want with them in the Majuli yatra, then we need to look at the future of the party,” he said. The political turbulence comes just two days ahead of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s scheduled visit to Assam on February 18 and 19. Borah’s decision also comes in the backdrop of recent allegations made by the Assam government regarding Gogoi and his wife’s alleged links to Pakistan.