Chidambaram gives a piece of his mind to Ripun Bora for not answering calls

GUWAHATI: Amid speculations that the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee might see a change of top brass ahead of the state Assembly elections, president Ripun Bora had to face a major embarrassment on Saturday when former Union finance minister P Chidambaram gave a piece of his mind in public for not attending repeated phone calls.

Chidambaram was heard shouting at Bora on phone when he came live on video conferencing from New Delhi to deliver the inaugural lecture on ‘Challenges and threat to democracy and the Constitution of India’ of the State Legal Convention organised by the APCC legal department at ITA Pragjyoti Cultural Centre here. However, alert audio mixing personnel muted the audio of P Chidambaram on the speakers preventing it from reaching hundreds of party men in the auditorium.

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However, a video of the same has gone viral.

“Mr Bora, do you have a problem receiving phone calls? I have been repeatedly calling you on your number. If you are too busy, someone else could have received the call. See this is your problem,” Chidambaram is heard saying.

Party sources said, the former minister was irritated after at least four calls from him on Bora’s mobile phone went unanswered. Bora, however, apologised to Chidambaram over the phone, the sources added.

Playing it down a senior party leader told Inside Northeast: “It’s a non-issue being blown out of proportion. He (Chidambaram) was apparently unaware that he was live for the video conference. The president does not carry his phone himself. The PA does who might have missed the calls. At the same time, this is something that happens in case of any individual. Afterall, they are colleagues and it was a personal call.”

The year 2021 started on an embarrassing note for Bora. He was trolled on social media at the turn of the year after he was caught on camera apparently unknowingly whispering to Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi: “Let’s make our promises first. It doesn’t matter if it really materializes or not.”

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