Former Assam MP joins regional party, slams ‘authoritarian’ BJP

GUWAHATI

Former Assam MP Rajen Gohain accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of moving a “Hitler-like authoritarian authorities aft joining the determination Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) connected Wednesday (November 5, 2025).

A four-time parliamentarian from cardinal Assam’s Nagaon constituency, helium discontinue the BJP successful October.

“The BJP-led authorities has turned Assam into a police-run State. The BJP has go the biggest force of the State alternatively of strengthening its societal fabric,” helium told journalists aft wearing the AJP colours.

The AJP, led by erstwhile All Assam Students’ Union person Lurinjyoti Gogoi, was a merchandise of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act question successful the State successful 2019. The party’s wide secretary, Jagadish Bhuyan, had discontinue the BJP during the highest of the movement.

Mr. Gohain, who was a cardinal subordinate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) earlier joining the BJP, said the radical of Assam efficaciously handed implicit the State’s power to the BJP’s cardinal enactment successful New Delhi, losing their dependable and autonomy successful the bargain.

The 74-year-old slammed the dictatorial benignant of functioning of the Assam authorities headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He alleged that the BJP was misusing the administrative machinery to plunder the State and fto outsiders instrumentality power of its onshore and resources.

Taking a swipe astatine the Chief Minister, a erstwhile Congress Minister, Mr. Gohain said that those who “did atrocious things” successful the expansive aged enactment “are present starring the BJP”. He indicated that helium would beryllium comfy if the AJP went for a strategical confederation with Congress.

The erstwhile MP besides criticised Mr. Sarma for his attraction of the precocious singer-composer Zubeen Garg. “If the Chief Minister had an iota of respect for Zubeen, helium would person scrapped a [flyover] task erstwhile the precocious vocalist protested the felling of trees.

Mr. Gohain is among the veterans with an RSS past astatine the halfway of the “old BJP” versus the “new BJP” statement successful Assam. The older acceptable of BJP leaders is reportedly increasing disenchanted with the newer “imported” acceptable present controlling the party.