Ex-Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah said he will withdraw his resignation if leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Debabrata Saikia convince him the party is in 'true spirit'. He criticised the unit, calling it 'APCC(R)', amid internal turmoil.
Amid internal turmoil in the Indian National Congress, Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah on Tuesday said he is willing to withdraw his resignation if senior leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Debabrata Saikia convince him that the party unit is functioning in its true spirit.
Speaking with ANI, Bhupen Borah, who sent his resignation to the Congress leadership on Monday, said that if party MP Pradyut and Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly Debarata Saikia confirm that he is wrong, then he will step back from his major announcement, months before the Assembly polls.
'Not Ready to Work in APCC(R)'
"I authorised Pradyut Bordoloi and Debabrata Saikia that if these two leaders are convinced that Bhupen Kumar Borah is wrong, and yes, in the future it will never happen, then I will withdraw my resignation," Borah told ANI. He said that the party leaders from Assam visited him yesterday following his resignation announcement. "This morning, Pradyut Bordoloi called me. I will wait the entire day, and if Pradyut Bordoloi and Debabrata Saikia can convince me that yes, this is the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, then I'm ready to withdraw my resignation... This is not APCC, this is now APCC (R). So I am not ready to work in APCC(R). At present, this is not APCC as per my knowledge and conscience. This is APCC like AGPP, NCP, TMC. This is APCC within the bracket R. You go and analyse," the Congress leader said.
Party Says Resignation Retracted
This follows Bhupen Kumar Borah tendering his resignation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday, but later retracted it within a few hours, All India Congress Committee (AICC) state in-charge Jitendra Singh said. However, the resignation was not accepted. Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi, who also visited Borah, praised him, calling him a "strong Congress leader" and an "asset" to the party amid ongoing internal discussions within the state unit.
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