Guwahati: Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah on Tuesday said that he is ready to withdraw his resignation, provided senior party leaders, Pradyut Bordoloi and Debabrata Saikia convince him that the state Congress unit is functioning in its true spirit.
Borah had submitted his resignation to the Congress leadership on Monday amid internal party tensions ahead of the Assam Assembly elections. Borah said he had authorised Pradyut Bordoloi, MP from Nagaon, and Debabrata Saikia, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, to go through his resignation letter and assess whether the APCC is operating as it should. “If these two leaders are convinced that I am wrong, I am ready to withdraw my resignation,” Borah stated.
Describing his concerns about the state unit, Borah elaborated, “This morning, Pradyut Bordoloi called me. I will wait the entire day, and if both he and Debabrata Saikia can convince me that this is truly the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, then I will withdraw my resignation. At present, this is not APCC as per my knowledge and conscience. It has become APCC(R), resembling parties like AGP(P), NCP, or TMC. I am not ready to work in APCC(R).”
Borah said several Assam Congress leaders had visited him following his resignation announcement to discuss the matter.
The Congress leadership, however, did not formally accept his resignation. According to All India Congress Committee (AICC) state in-charge Jitendra Singh, Borah had retracted his resignation.
Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi, who also visited Borah, praised him as a “strong Congress leader” and an “asset” to the party amid ongoing internal discussions within the state unit.