'Continuous Infighting': Ex-Assam Cong Chief Ripun Bora Quits Party, Joins TMC

Bora suggested that senior Congress leaders maintained a "secret understanding" with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Ripun Bora joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday, 17 April.

(Photo: Twitter/AITCofficial)

After tendering his resignation from the INC, former Assam Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday, 17 April.

In his resignation letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi, Bora said that instead of putting up a united front against the BJP, the Congress leadership engaged in constant infighting for vested interests.

He also suggested that senior party leaders maintained a "secret understanding" with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"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 Assam PCC have been maintaining a secret understanding with the BJP government, mainly with the Chief Minister."

Ripun Bora, in his resignation letter

Bora joined the TMC in Kolkata in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP and national general secretary of the party Abhishek Banerjee.

"We are extremely pleased to have you onboard and look forward to working together for the well-being of our people!" Banerjee wrote on Twitter.

Bora called the BJP a serious threat to democracy, the constitution, secularism, and economy, which has been allowed to grow unchecked due to Congress leaders fighting against each other.

"People started to believe and expect that Congress would form the government in 2021. But, due to continuous inner fight by a section of senior most leaders of Assam PCC, people lost faith in us and did not give us the mandate," he said.

He said that in the coming days he would continue his fight "more vigorously" against the BJP.

Assam CM Himanta Sarma said Bora's decision was Congress' internal matter, according to News18. "One thing is for sure that in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha election, Congress MLAs did not vote for Ripun Bora," he said.

(With inputs from ANI and News 18.)