On 27th January, former Assam Youth Congress President Angkita Dutta confirmed that she would join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 28th January. Dutta was expelled from the grand old party after she filed a complaint against Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV and accused him of harassment. Over 100 supporters of Dutta will also join the BJP in Guwahati with her, who is the daughter of former Assam Congress president late Anjan Dutta.
Suspended Assam Congress leader Angkita Dutta to join BJP today
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) January 28, 2024
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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that she would be joining BJP. He said the party welcomes talented “non-political” youth in the party. He said, “We want doctors, engineers, IT professionals and youths educated in other fields to join our party. We are making many development plans, and these youths will help us implement them efficiently. Tomorrow, so many talented youths will join the BJP.”
In April 2023, Dutta filed a complaint with Assam Police against Srinivas, accusing him of harassment and discrimination. A case was registered against Srinivas based on her complaint. In May 2023, Srinivas got interim relief from arrest by the Supreme Court of India. At that time, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused Dutta of filing a complaint under the influence of CM Sarma. He said, “She was an efficient leader of our party, but she is too emotional. This matter would have been solved within the party, but Himanta intervened and made it a legal issue.”
During Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Dutta tried to meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get “justice”, but the party did not let her meet him. She said, “Not just me, Rahul Gandhi insulted the grassroots level workers by denying a meeting during his Yatra.” She added that she was removed from the party without justice and was made to wait for over ten months to get a response from senior leadership. She said, “I did not join any other political party and waited for Rahul Gandhi and other leaders to give me justice. But I felt heartbroken when he refused to meet me during his Yatra in Assam.”
Furthermore, she said she would not expect anything from the BJP and appreciated CM Sarma for raising her voice for her. She said, “When I was suffering and spoke against it (harassment), the entire Congress leadership was keeping mum. That time, Himanta stood by me despite being a member of another party.”
Former minister of the Congress Party, Bismita Gogoi, is also expected to join the BJP. Gogoi was cultural affairs, handloom and textile minister under former CM Tarun Gogoi’s regime in Assam. In 2021, she lost assembly elections and allegedly faced discrimination following the defeat. When Congress chief for Assam, Bhupen Kumar Borah, was asked about Dutta’s moving to BJP, he said as she was not part of Congress, the party was not concerned if she joined the BJP or some other party.
Who is Angkita Dutta?
Angkita Dutta is the former head of the Assam Youth Congress. She is the daughter of veteran Congress leader late Anjan Dutta, who served as a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government and also led the Pradesh Congress. Anjan Dutta was also a member of the AICC.
On April 22, 2023, the Congress party expelled the then Assam Pradesh Youth Congress President, Angkita Dutta, from the primary membership of the Congress party for six years for ‘anti-party activities.’
The decision came after she lodged a police complaint against IYC national president Srinivas BV, accusing him of harassment. Before that, on April 20, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) had issued a show cause notice to Angkita Dutta over the allegations she levelled against IYC National President and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Srinivas BV.
The Congress’ legal cell had sent a notice to Angkita Dutta after she made the harassment allegations. The notice, sent on behalf of Youth Congress President Srinivas BV, had called Angkita Dutta’s complaint of harassment as “false and frivolous”.
On April 18, 2023, Angkita Dutta posted a series of tweets wherein she opened up about facing harassment at the hands of Congress leader Srinivas BV and also accused the Congress’s high command of a lack of interest in her case. In her subsequent police complaint, Dutta narrated that she had been facing harassment and mental trauma at the hands of BV Srinivas for several months.
