Gaurav Gogoi terms Borah’s BJP entry ‘scripted’, links move to alleged 12,000-bigha land row

Guwahati, Feb 18: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on former APCC president Bhupen Borah following his resignation from the Congress, alleging that his decision to join the BJP was a “scripted move” designed to divert public attention from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s alleged 12,000-bigha land controversy.

Addressing the media at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati, Gogoi said rumours about Borah’s alleged proximity to Himanta Biswa Sarma had been circulating for a long time. He claimed the Congress had initially dismissed such speculations, but raised questions over how confidential information from internal party meetings repeatedly reached a journalist allegedly close to the Chief Minister.

According to Gogoi, Borah’s immediate switch to the BJP a day after resigning from the Congress has now validated those suspicions. He said Borah, who had sharply criticised Sarma for years, “surrendered” without hesitation.

Calling the development a calculated distraction, Gogoi said the people of Assam are demanding answers on how one family allegedly acquired 12,000 bighas — nearly 4,000 acres — of land. He asserted that the Congress party’s sustained campaigns have exposed what he described as Sarma’s “real estate empire,” prompting the BJP to engineer diversions.

“The public will not be distracted. The Congress campaign will not stop for a second,” Gogoi said, adding that the party will continue with its scheduled programmes and adhere to candidate selection timelines ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

He further alleged that leaders joining the BJP are handed a prepared “script,” and questioned why Borah did not align with any other anti-BJP party if his departure was truly ideological.

Invoking Chanakya Niti, Gogoi remarked that political strategies often employ “Saam, Daam, Dand and Bhed,” and claimed that at least two of those tactics were at play in this instance.

Gogoi also accused Sarma of hypocrisy, recalling that the Chief Minister had earlier criticised Borah for allegedly making vulgar gestures toward a Mahila Congress leader. He said a case in the matter is reportedly pending before the National Commission for Women, yet Sarma is now projecting Borah as an “upright Hindu leader.”

He further recalled that Borah had once taken an oath at the Kamakhya Temple that he would never join the BJP, alleging that Borah has now gone back on that pledge. Gogoi challenged Sarma to publicly debate Hinduism.

Highlighting recent political developments, Gogoi said the Congress has witnessed leaders from the BJP, AGP and other parties joining its ranks in recent months. Claiming that the “Congress train is gaining speed,” he expressed confidence that the party will return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Gogoi alleged that Borah has “written the obituary of his political career” by joining the BJP. He further claimed that under Sarma’s leadership, BJP allies have gradually been weakened or sidelined, remarking that even former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is rarely visible in Assam’s political landscape or BJP publicity campaigns.

Concluding his remarks, Gogoi reiterated that Borah’s resignation and subsequent entry into the BJP were pre-planned, and alleged that the Chief Minister’s actions stem from desperation over the purported 12,000-bigha land issue.

Watch

Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.

Also, Follow us on

Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub

Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020

Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub

Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub