Sushmita Dev denies AITC split in state, rebukes Ripun Bora’s ‘blatant lies’

Guwahati, Dec 28: All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Rajya Sabha member, Sushmita Dev has sharply criticised former party leader Ripun Bora for spreading "false propaganda" regarding the alleged disintegration of the AITC in Assam.

In an exclusive statement to The Assam Tribune, Dev dismissed Bora's recent claims as "blatant lies", pointing out that such accusations from a senior leader were deeply disappointing.

"Bora's comments are nothing but blatant lies. I, personally, am highly disappointed with such a senior leader making such baseless remarks about a party he has been a part of for over two years," Dev said over the phone.

Bora, a former Congress leader who defected to the AITC earlier, had recently alleged that all district committees of the AITC in Assam had been dissolved, and their leaders and members had officially merged with the Congress. His statement caused a stir, prompting Dev's rebuke.

Dev's reaction comes on the heels of a significant development for the party in Assam, where around 500 political leaders and workers from various parties, including BJP, Congress, and AIUDF, joined the AITC at a grand event in Guwahati on December 27. The event was attended by Dev and Assam AITC president Ramen Borthakur.

The party expressed their hope of building a strong team in Assam and stated their intention to fight against the BJP. Dev pointed out that while the BJP wins in direct contests against Congress, it loses when up against parties like TMC, DMK, or Samajwadi. “We urged the people of Assam to think differently in this context,” she said.

Interestingly, a majority of the defectors hailed from the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), with six prominent leaders making the move to Mamata Banerjee's party.

Notable among the new entrants from AJP were Milton Queah, vice president of the party’s Kamrup (M) unit, Israil Nanda, vice president of the Tinsukia unit, and central committee executive member Jintu Deka.

The defection of key AJP leaders, just ahead of the crucial panchayat polls, has dealt a severe blow to the regionalist party, which has already been grappling with challenges in consolidating its support base.

This setback is compounded by the recent breakup of the Asom Sonmilito Morcha, the united Opposition front, ahead of the Lok Sabha by-elections in October.

When approached for comments, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said that all the defectors are "habitual turncoats" and have shifted allegiance to different parties many a time in the past.

"Their defection would not dent the party's prospects in the upcoming Panchayat polls as they have been inactive members for many months now and are habitual defectors," he told The Assam Tribune.