"Workers are treated like dogs": Kandarpa Kalita attacks APCC leadership after quitting Congress

The Assam Congress suffered another setback on Monday, Mach 9 after senior party leader Kandarpa Kalita, General Secretary of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, announced his resignation from the party, sharply criticising the current leadership and alleging a growing disconnect between the organisation and its grassroots workers.

Kalita made the announcement during a press conference at the Guwahati Press Club, stating that he had formally submitted his resignation at the APCC office earlier in the morning. The senior leader said he joined the Indian National Congress in 2006 but decided to step down after becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the party’s internal functioning.

Launching a direct attack on Gaurav Gogoi, the president of the state Congress unit, Kalita alleged that the party’s organisational culture has deteriorated since Gogoi assumed charge. According to him, many senior leaders and grassroots workers have been sidelined and treated with disrespect under the present leadership.

Kalita further claimed that the APCC president remains disconnected from ordinary party workers and often does not respond to their calls or listen to their grievances. In his resignation letter, he described the decision to quit as a difficult one but said it had become unavoidable after closely observing the current functioning of the party.

Using strong language, Kalita said that “no self-respecting Assamese person” would want to remain in the Congress under the present leadership. He alleged that even elected representatives had faced humiliation, citing an instance where Congress leader Zakir Hussain Sikdar was allegedly made to wait outside Gogoi’s residence veranda despite being a public representative.

The former APCC general secretary also claimed that ordinary party workers are treated “like dogs” when they visit the residence of the state Congress chief.

Kalita also referred to internal disagreements over candidate selection, stating that he had sought a party ticket from the Sipajhar constituency but did not receive it. He alleged that the process of ticket distribution within the party lacks transparency.

In addition, he accused senior Congress leader and MP Rakibul Hussain of weakening the party’s organisational structure in Assam and warned that the Congress could face serious challenges in several constituencies, including Jorhat.

Kalita also compared the current leadership with that of former APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah, stating that during Borah’s tenure the salaries of party employees had been increased, whereas no such revision had taken place since Gogoi took charge. He further remarked that Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi would have been a more suitable choice for the post of APCC president.