Congress déjà vu: Bordoloi’s exit to BJP revives ghosts of Himanta Sarma revolt as Gogoi’s elevation fuels unrest

New Delhi: As Assam Congress faced yet another resignation with party MP Pradyut Bordoloi joining the BJP, the Congress circles in Delhi are tensely watching the replay of a comparable political episode -- with similar script, cast and backdrop -- that had, a decade ago, crippled the then entrenched Assam Congress in the run-up to the 2016 state elections.

The Assam Congress is left to battle resignations at a time when it has the opportunity to tap the BJP government's 10 years' incumbency issues.

Many in the Congress recollect how a decade ago, the Rahul Gandhi-Gaurav Gogoi teamwork aborted an AICC move to change the then Assam Congress CM Tarun Gogoi in the face of internal rebellion.


That resulted in the then number two in the Gogoi government Himanta Biswa Sarma quitting the Congress, joining the BJP and wreaking havoc on his old party in Assam and much of the Northeast. Now, after Gandhi ensured the elevation of Gaurav Gogoi over the heads of many senior Congress leaders, as the state PCC head to lead the Congress to elections, this has triggered tension and rebellion, resulting in earlier resignations of Bhupen Kumar Borah, now Bordoloi and in between some others. Sarma, as BJP's CM, is enthusiastically now embracing his old Congress colleagues to his new party.

Incidentally, Sarma then, and Borah and Bordoloi now, talked about 'humiliation' by the Gandhi-led high command and targeted Gogoi. PCC chief Gogoi's tie-ups with leaders such as Rakibul Hussain and Asif Nazar are said to have added to the tension.

"Gogoi is socially smart, well-connected with high command, articulate in English, speaks well in the Lok Sabha and is pedigreed. Yet, the fact remains that he is far junior than many Congress leaders including Borah, Bordoloi," said a Congress leader. At 44, Gogoi is now a decorated Congress leader -- a member of CWC, PCC president and the Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha.

Political circles also point out Sarma, Borah (both almost the same age as Gandhi) and Bordoloi had emerged through long experience in youth Congress politics, later holding ministerial posts within the previous Congress governments.

In contrast, the Congress crack team for leading Assam election battle -- Rahul Gandhi as 'de facto Congress leader, Gogoi as PCC chief, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as screening committee chairperson and Jitendra Singh as AICC general secretary in-charge are known to share close personal friendship and catapulted to the leadership slots straight away on their respective debuts due to the families they belong to.

These backdrops, factors and characters, many say, make the raging 'Congress Vs BJP' and the fight within the state Congress also a clash of diverse political schools and personalities, their ambitions, wounded sentiments and grouses.