Ahead of polls, senior leader Dilip Baruah quits Congress, targets Gaurav Gogoi
After submitting his resignation, Baruah alleged that the party’s political graph has declined under the leadership of Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi
Former Senior leader of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Dilip Baruah
Guwahati, Feb 4: Ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, former Biswanath district Congress president and current executive member of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Dilip Baruah, on Wednesday, announced his resignation from the party.
Addressing a press conference at his residence, Baruah said he had submitted his resignation letter to the party’s state in-charge, Jitendra Singh.
He claimed the Congress functioned effectively when Bhupen Bora was at the helm, but alleged that the party’s political graph has declined under the leadership of Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi.
“After working for nearly 50 years in the Congress, I have decided to resign. I have been associated with the party since 1976, but now there is no conducive environment to work. The party is being run like a ‘Gaurav Gogoi Friends Club’,” Baruah alleged.
He further said that while Gogoi is articulate in Parliament, he still has much to learn politically.
“When Gaurav Gogoi became the APCC president, we hoped the party would move forward, but nothing concrete has happened. The foundation we built is now nowhere. Merely blaming the ruling party for ‘vote theft’ will not bring people to the polling booths,” he said.
Baruah also expressed strong resentment over the party’s decision to award a Congress ticket to Jayanta Bora in the Behali by-election without the latter formally joining the party.
Asked about his future political plans, Baruah said he has not yet considered joining any other party.
Earlier, on January 14, Congress leader Rejaul Karim Sarkar had also resigned from the party following controversial remarks related to Sivasagar and Dhubri districts.
In his resignation letter addressed to APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, Sarkar cited deep ideological differences and disillusionment with the party’s leadership.
Ahead of Assembly elections, political defections are routine, as leaders recalibrate loyalties amid internal dissent, ticket ambitions and shifting power equations during every high-stakes poll season.