GUWAHATI: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Assam President Ripun Bora, who resigned from the party on September 1, joined the Congress on Sunday.
Bora had parted ways with the TMC stating that the Mamata Banerjee-led party was not acceptable in the state. He said he took this decision because the party did not act on his suggestions on steps to be taken to change its public perception in the state as a regional party from Bengal.
He rejoined the Congress, along with his supporters, at the party’s extended executive meeting held in Charaideo.
“I am happy to come back to my old home Congress. In Assam, no party without Congress can defeat the BJP. I joined TMC with an aim to defeat BJP but later I realised that Trinamool Congress cannot alone defeat BJP in Assam, so I decided to quit,” Bora said.
Congress Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh and state chief Bhupen Kumar Borah welcomed Bora back into the party fold.
“We welcome Ripun Bora Ji on behalf of the AICC. This is his ‘ghar wapsi’. Although he had once left us to join the TMC, he carries the DNA of the Congress. I am very pleased that he has rejoined as a worker without any preconditions,” Singh stated.
He also commented on the current political landscape, asserting that other opposition parties, including the TMC, will not be able to “uproot” the ruling BJP.
“People want the Congress. Only the Congress can achieve this. If I had remained in the TMC, it would have only resulted in a division of votes and inadvertently assisted the BJP. Heeding the call of the times, I resigned from the TMC and returned to the Congress,” Bora, a former Congress minister, added.
Bora served as the Assam Congress chief from 2016 to 2021 before joining the TMC following the Congress’ electoral defeat in 2021.
ALSO READ: Assam Trinamool Congress president Ripun Bora quits party
Sources in TMC, however, said that the party was unhappy with Bora as it got only 80,000 votes in four Lok Sabha seats it contested in Assam this time.
“His resignation was on expected lines. He wanted a Rajya Sabha seat but the party directly refused given his performance since he joined,” said the source.
