Assam: Five Muslim Congress MLAs to join AGP soon?

Even as the turbulent tides continue within the Assam Congress, reliable sources have told India Today NE that five Muslim MLAs from the grand old party are soon to jump ship to the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). 

Sources have told India Today NE that the Assam Congress is most likely set for another setback as five Muslims MLAs from its ranks are set to jump ship to the AGP soon. While it is not yet clear as to when the shift is going to take place, it is being suspected that the jump to AGP might happen once Congress announces its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections tentatively on February 20. 

Sources informed India Today NE that Congress leader and Samaguri MLA, Rockybul Hussain, is speculated to be the candidate for the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat. This news has reportedly upset some MLAs from lower Assam since the local Dhubri MLA Wajed Ali Choudhury and current Barpeta MP, Abdul Khaleque, aspired to contest from Dhubri after the last delimitation exercise left them with no other option. Conflicts within the party have ensued following rumours of Rockybul Hussain's potential switch from Samaguri assembly constituency to Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency. However, the final decision will be confirmed once the Congress announces their candidates list.

However, as mentioned, whether the jump actually happens or not is something that will be clear once the candidates list is announced by the Congress. 

If the jump to AGP by te five Muslim MLAs does indeed take place, then it will be seen as another major setback for the Congress as the AGP is but a part of the BJP-led NDA coalition. 

This is the latest rumour that has arisen from the Congress camp amid a storm that is already leading to a drift among a section of the party's leaders and MLAs. 

Recently, the Assam Congress received a major jolt when party MLAs Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Basanta Das openly declared their support to the Himanta Biswa Sarma led-BJP government. While both MLAs were served showcause notices, they still continue to be part of the Congress amidst questions being raised on them. 

Purkayastha even targeted Rahul Gandhi by stating that during the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, he had the time to meet alliance parties of the INDIA bloc, but did not have time to meet the MLAs of his own party. 

Yesterday, another controversy arose when the Golaghat district Congress president Dadu Taye was suspended after he recently met Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Taye went on a tirade yesterday in front of the media as he targeted Congress leader and MP Gaurav Gogoi, and even went to the extent of claiming that Gogoi does not possess the blood of an Ahom but instead has the blood of Miya in his veins. And following this outburst, today, Taye was formally expelled from the Congress. 

And this is not a new phenomenon, but it is something that the Congress has been struggling from sometime now. 

On January 28, Angkita Dutta, the expelled president of Assam Youth Congress, and former MLA Bismita Gogoi, joined the BJP, levelling various allegations against the party leadership.

Dutta specifically criticised Rahul Gandhi. Recent changes in the tone of Pradyut Bordoloi, the sitting MP of Nagaon, have sparked rumours of his possible replacement by Gaurav Gogoi and his potential move to the BJP. Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha's recent announcement of his intention to support the Assam Chief Minister indicates the possibility of further Congress members joining the BJP in Assam, adding to the Congress party's troubles ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 

And not just on the state level, but Congress is also facing a crisis on the national level as well as reports have come in former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and his son Nakul may also be jumping ship to the BJP. 

The Congress is facing a challenging situation with multiple leaders defecting to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prior to the Lok Sabha elections.