Meet BJP's member-to-be Himanta Biswa Sarma, from Tarun Gogoi’s blue-eyed boy to bête noire

GUWAHATI: Congressmen in Assam often called Himanta Biswa Sarma a “manager” because of his exceptional troubleshooting skills. But he couldn’t manage the support of the party high command in his own efforts to topple Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Sarma announced his decision over the weekend to quit the Congress. He is likely to formally join the BJP, a party he until recently fought tooth and nail, on August 28 in Guwahati.

Sarma’s transition from being Gogoi’s blue-eyed boy – he was even called the de facto chief minister – to his bête noire has been quick. One of the possible reasons for this is dynasty politics.

As a child, Sarma was outspoken and a go-getter. This trait took him close to All Assam Students Union leaders. He started as a courier boy for Aasu leaders, delivering their statements to newspaper offices in Guwahati.

A law graduate, he came to Congress politics in 1991-96. He contested from Jalukbari assembly constituency in Guwahati in 2001 and has never lost since. In his first term as an MLA, Sarma became minister of state for planning and development in Gogoi’s ministry.

Slowly he emerged as a trusted lieutenant of Gogoi. In the next term, Sarma was made minister for health, Guwahati Development Department and Assam accord implementation.

In the 2011 assembly polls, Sarma was Congress’ main campaigner. With the party returning to power, he was given charge of education and health.

Fissures started developing between the chief minister and Sarma after Gogoi’s son, Gaurav, joined politics. As junior Gogoi’s presence hurt Sarma’s chances in the party, he raised the banner of revolt against Gogoi’s leadership. In June last year, the high command sent Mallikarjun Kharge for consultation with legislators. Sarma’s camp claimed the support of 42 of Congress’s 78 MLAs.

Sarma wanted the party to act on Kharge’s report. As the leadership sat on it, Sarma resigned from Gogoi’s cabinet in July 2014. “It is not possible mentally, physically and politically” to work under Gogoi, he had said then.

Sarma was expecting the high command to support him after the poor performance in the 2014 parliamentary elections. But, he was not even given the state party chief ’s post which he was willing to accept.

There were more troubles in store. In November, the CBI interrogated him in connection with the Saradha scam. Recently his name got entangled in the Louis Berger Guwahati Water Supply Project issue as well. Sarma has denied any wrongdoing.