Guwahati: Expressing his grievances against the party leaders, both in the State and high command, an outspoken Congress legislator left the century-old party with a heavy heart on Friday. Rupjyoti Kurmi, the four-time MLA from Mariani constituency in eastern Assam, also resigned from the State legislative assembly submitting his letter to the assembly speaker Biswajit Daimari in the morning hours.
Later the State Congress leadership claimed that Kurmi was expelled from its primary membership due to anti-party activities. Speaking to scribes, Kurmi blamed the State Congress president Ripun Bora for the party’s failure in the electoral politics asserting that the pre-poll alliance with Badruddin Ajmal led All India United Democratic Front in the recently concluded assembly polls was a destructive decision.
Kurmi also criticized the party chief Rahul Gandhi as an inefficient politician and commented that Rahul can not shoulder the responsibility bestowed on him. He alleged that Congress continues ignoring its junior leaders and thus the situation has worsened for the party across the country. The tea tribe leader opined that the Congress had missed a golden opportunity to form the government in Dispur.
He is now joining the Bhartiya Janata Party on 21 June in presence of State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Congress now remains with only 28 legislators in the 126-member state assembly after Kurmi’s exit. Many State-based Congress leaders like Pankaj Borbora, Ankita Dutta, Juri Sarma Bordoloi, etc are also abandoning the party in the coming days.
