GUWAHATI: Assam Congress President Bhupen Borah said on Monday that the decision regarding return of Ripun Bora to the party, who has resigned from Trinamool Congress, will be made by party leaders in New Delhi.
He told reporters here: “Ripun Bora was at the highest position in a state that is given by the Congress party. Hence, if he wishes to come back to Congress, I cannot make this decision. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) will take a call in this regard.”
Borah said that he would welcome Ripun Bora if the AICC leadership decided to bring him back to Congress.
He stated: “I can even take a comment from Trinamool Congress leaders if AICC asks me to do so. But a final decision of Ripun Bora joining must be made by my central leadership.”
Ripun Bora resigned from the Trinamool Congress primary membership citing displeasure over Mamata Banerjee’s working style in expanding the party’s footprint in Assam. It has been widely speculated that Bora will most likely re-join the Congress party and he has already had a preliminary conversation with the party leaders.
Bora left Congress after he lost Rajya Sabha polls three years ago, alleging sabotage in the election by a section of party leaders. He then joined Trinamool Congress and was made the state President of the party.
In a two-page resignation letter written to Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Bora wrote: “Assam TMC has great potential, but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of TMC as a regional party of West Bengal. To counter this perception, we made several suggestions, such as the need for an Assamese leader at the national level, declaring the residence of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Tollygunge a heritage site, and converting the Madhupur Satra at Cooch Behar (the place from where Assam's greatest social reformer Mahapurush Sankar Dev started the Vaishnavite movement) into a cultural hub.”
The former Rajya Sabha MP also claimed that he has failed to secure an appointment with Abhishek Banerjee and West Bengal Chief Minister in the last one and half years to discuss Trinamool Congress' prospects in Assam.
“Despite my repeated attempts over the past year and a half to secure an appointment with you and our Chief Mamata Didi to address these concerns, I have been unsuccessful, ” he wrote in the letter.