Former Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora resigned from the Congress on Sunday, and joined West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), being inducted into the party by Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool’s national general secretary. “Extending a very warm welcome to Shri @ripunbora, a stalwart and skilled politician, who joined the @AITCofficial family today. We are extremely pleased to have you onboard and look forward to working together for the well-being of our people,” Banerjee said on Twitter.
In his resignation letter, addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Bora alleged there was a ‘secret understanding’ between senior state unit leaders and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “I am very pained to inform you that it is an open secret in Assam that instead of fighting against the BJP, a section of senior most leaders of the Pradesh Congress Committee have been maintaining a secret with the BJP government, mainly with the chief minister,” Bora wrote, according to news agency ANI.
The former Rajya Sabha MP also wrote that instead of fighting the ‘communal’ BJP, Assam Congress leaders were fighting each other. “The leaders of this grand old party at different levels are fighting each other for vested interests. This has given the BJP ample advantages to grow in every nook and corner in one hand and in another, demoralising millions of Congress workers in the country,” the letter read.
{{/usCountry}}The former Rajya Sabha MP also wrote that instead of fighting the ‘communal’ BJP, Assam Congress leaders were fighting each other. “The leaders of this grand old party at different levels are fighting each other for vested interests. This has given the BJP ample advantages to grow in every nook and corner in one hand and in another, demoralising millions of Congress workers in the country,” the letter read.
{{/usCountry}}The 66-year-old politician is the second Congress leader from the northeastern state to join the Mamata Banerjee-headed party, after former Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev, who joined last year. Abhijit Banerjee, another former party leader and son of late former President Pranab Mukherjee, switched to the Trinamool last year.
In Goa, the TMC inducted the Congress' former chief minister, Luizinho Faleiro. Also, all legislators from the Sonia Gandhi-headed party merged with the Trinamool.