Assam Trinamool Congress President Ripun Bora on Sunday resigned from the party, citing perception of people of the state of TMC being a regional party.
“I thought that from the platform of TMC, we could intensify our fight against the BJP in Assam… But subsequently, I experienced that the people of Assam are not inclined to accept TMC in Assam. The people of Assam view TMC as a regional party of Bengal… No doubt people have very deep respect for Mamata Banerjee. But the people of Assam do not want to accept the TMC. That is why I have decided if the people do not accept it, then how we can intensify the fight against the BJP through TMC… I decided that if I continue in TMC only I will get no result. It is a waste of my time and energy,” Bora said while speaking to ANI.
He further highlighted measures that could be taken by the party, such as need for an Assamese leader at the national level, declaring the residence of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Tollygunge as a heritage site and converting the Madhupur Satra at Cooch Behar into a cultural hub to counter the perception of the people of TMC being a regional party.
Assam TMC president Ripun Bora resigns from the party.
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2024
His letter to the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reads, "…Assam TMC has great potential but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of TMC as a regional party of… pic.twitter.com/tntkKL6mpr
“…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 as a heritage site and converting the Madhupur Satra at Cooch Behar into a cultural hub,” he wrote in a letter to TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
He revealed that he made numerous attempts to sit down with the TMC’s National General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to address pressing concerns, but his efforts were met with silence. This lack of engagement is also a reason for his decision to resign from the party.
“Despite my repeated attempts over the past year and a half to secure an appointment with you and our Chief Minister Mamata Didi to address these concerns, I have been unsuccessful,” he added.
#WATCH | Guwahati, Assam: On his resignation from TMC, Ripun Bora says, "… In 2022, I joined TMC because I was impressed by the uncompromising leadership of Mamata Banerjee. The way Mamata Banerjee had been fighting against BJP in West Bengal, she was very successful in… pic.twitter.com/rzm9iOiXvl
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2024
He stated that the people of Assam are not ready to accept a party from the other state and view TMC as a regional party of West Bengal.
“It has been my honour to serve as the State President of Assam TMC for over two years. I have interacted extensively with people across the state. Unfortunately, the issues mentioned above have led many people in Assam to continue viewing TMC as a regional party of West Bengal. The people of Assam are not willing to accept a party that they perceive as being from another state. In light of these challenges and the lack of an adequate resolution, I feel compelled to make a difficult decision and have decided to dissociate myself from TMC,” he wrote in the letter.
Ripun Bora had joined TMC after leaving Congress party in 2022.
Notably, the resignation of Ripun Bora came just days after Mamata Banerjee triggered outrage in Assam by talking about burning the state, along with other states and Delhi. Addressing a public rally on Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee had warned that the unrest in Bengal could have far-reaching consequences beyond the state.
The West Bengal CM had alleged that PM Narendra Modi is using his party to cause fire in West Bengal over the Kolkata woman doctor rape and murder incident. She had threatened that if Bengal burns, other states including Assam, North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi too shall burn. She had said, “Mr. Modi, you’re using your party to cause fire here. If you burn Bengal, Assam, North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi too shall burn! We will topple your chair.”
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had strongly reacted to her comments, asking how can she dare to threaten Assam. Sarma said, “Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don’t show us red eyes. Don’t even try to burn India with your politics of failure. It does not befit you to speak divisive language.” Several other leaders of BJP also condemned Mamata Banerjee for her comments.
(With inputs from ANI)
