BJP has turned into Assamese people’s 'enemy': Rajen Gohain after quitting from party

In a major political development in Assam, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and four-time Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagaon, Rajen Gohain, has officially resigned from the party, expressing strong discontent over its present leadership and ideological drift.

Gohain, who served as the Minister of State for Railways in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first cabinet in 2016 and previously as the BJP state president, tendered his resignation at the party’s state headquarters — Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan.

Addressing the media on Thursday, October 9, Gohain voiced deep frustration over what he described as the loss of the party’s founding values.

“I have been patient for a long time, but it’s deeply dissatisfying. We did not join this party to watch people’s faces; we came here to uphold the ideals of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. Now the party has gone into someone else’s hands,” Gohain said.

Hinting at his next political move, Gohain remarked that only a regional party can serve Assam’s interests, naming Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mohilary as a central figure in Assam’s regional politics.

“The BJP has become the main enemy of the Assamese. I am not a self-sacrificing person, nor can I amass wealth like the current BJP president Dilip Saikia. The Chief Minister listens to no one and acts as he pleases,” he added candidly.

A veteran political figure, Rajen Gohain represented the Nowgong (now Nagaon) constituency for four consecutive terms from 1999 to 2014 and has been associated with the BJP since 1991.

In 2023, Gohain had stepped down as Chairman of the Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, protesting against the delimitation of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, which he argued made it “unwinnable” for the BJP in upcoming elections.

His resignation marks a significant rift within the Assam BJP, shedding light on the growing internal dissatisfaction and posing fresh challenges for the ruling party as it gears up for the next electoral battle in the state.