‘Pained’ Ripun Bora Quits Congress, Joins TMC

New Delhi: Former Assam Congress president Ripun Bora has tendered his resignation from the grand old party and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Bora joined West Bengal’s ruling party in the presence of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee.

Bora in his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the party leaders at different levels are fighting each other for their vested interests, ANI reported.

He emphasized that they should instead fight unitedly and aggressively to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at this critical juncture of the country.

“During the past couple of years the way BJP, the symbol of communal and decisive forces is growing across the country and it is a serious threat to the democracy, constitution and secularism and economy of our country,” he added.

Bora said the Congress in his home state of Assam is also not an exception to this.

“After a devastating defeat in Assam Assembly Elections in 2016, you gave me the responsibility of PCC president, Assam. Since then I have been devoting tremendous handwork to revive the party and have been able to build Congress to challenge the BJP in all elections right from Panchayat, Urban local bodies, Assembly Bye-Elections and in Lok Sabha Election of 2019,” Bora said.

Bora said the people of Assam had high expectations from the Congress in the 2021 assembly elections and believed that the grand old party would form the government.

“But due to continuous inner fight by a section of senior most leaders of Assam PCC, people lost faith on us and did not give mandate to us to form the government,” he added.

Bora further said he is pained to inform it is an open secret in Assam that a section of senior most leaders of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee have been maintaining a secret understanding with the BJP government mainly with the Chief Minister instead of fighting against the saffron party.